An Exercise in Perception
by VirgilVirgilVirgil
Summary: Thrawn and Eli are sent on a mission near Pantora, and Riyo is not happy about their presence. Of course, her affiliation with a local Rebel cell only makes matters worse. Mind games, manipulation, and moral ambiguity ensue. Riyo Chuchi x Thrawn. Eli x OMC. Slooooow burn. Lots of Eli.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: I promised ya'll I'd be back with another Thrawn/Riyo fic for 2018... it's finally here! Expect updates roughly every Tuesday. Thank you to all my regular readers who have been patient with me, I sincerely hope you all enjoy the story.

INTERNET HUGS TO MY BEAUTIFUL BETA READERS: Ao3 user FeartheTalon (Sick Games is a fantastic read if you're looking for more Thrawn content!), FFN user EverandeverGreen (check out her Thrawn/OFC fic, it's been making me gigglesnort for weeks now), and FFN user alloztome!

* * *

 _Seemingly trivial incidents of my childhood often led me to form some of my most deeply held beliefs and attitudes, such as of my approach to fighting monsters. I was so young I can barely remember how it started. It must have been a bump or some strange noise that caught my attention while lying in bed at night. My imagination ran away with it, growing a little noise into a fearsome creature I was entirely certain lurked under my bed. Every night I would lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, my childish mind conjuring up images of the horrific thing that might be the end of me._

 _I hid my suspicions of the ominous presence for what felt like an eternity but was eventually so overcome with terror I knew I needed help. The most obvious solution came to mind: my father. Among many things — a politician, a philanthropist, a writer — my father was a proud outdoorsman, familiar with the variety of species inhabiting wilderness of Pantora. Given his extensive knowledge of wild creatures and how to hunt them, and the fact that he was simply the bravest person I could think of, it seemed entirely logical he would be my best ally in the situation._

 _I explained everything to him in tears, and begged for his help. He was a patient man, and always very good with me when I was a girl. I don't remember him laughing or even smiling as I sobbed my situation to him. He waited for me to finish before calmly giving me his answer: "No."_

 _Monsters, he said, could only be vanquished by the people they appeared to, which meant I had to take care of my problem by myself. He did, however, give me some advice: The only sure way to defeat a monster was to be courageous and direct when confronting them._

 _I was well into adulthood before I realized my father meant to teach me something valuable at that moment. Given my career choice, I was fated to encounter monsters much more difficult to recognize because they don't have fangs or talons. Much to the contrary, they frequently have a seductive appeal. They masquerade as someone you feel compelled to respect and trust, or as someone who fulfills an unmet need in your life, while they slowly eat away at your independence or prosperity._

 _That is what makes these monsters so dangerous — they work in slow, insidious ways that are difficult to detect until it's too late, and they are masterful at twisting people's perception of their transgressions into something that seems acceptable or even necessary._

 _But my father's wisdom held true no matter how terrible the monster I faced: If you're bold, if you stand your ground and refuse to show your fear, even the worst of monsters can be defeated._

* * *

"You'd think the man was carved from ice."

Riyo had to remind herself she was sitting at her holodesk, so Senator Roig could see her reaction to the statement. She didn't want to appear ungrateful for the information her fellow Senator shared, but it was completely useless. _Carved from ice…_ what was that even supposed to mean?

She contacted Roig for information after receiving an unpleasant message from an Imperial official informing her that due to Imperial interests in the area, a Star Destroyer would be temporarily stationed in Pantoran space. That, very literally, was the extent of the message. There was no question if their presence would have the approval of Pantora, and there was no contact information for her to obtain more information. It was simply: we're coming into your home for however long we see fit, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Naturally, she didn't take the lack of contact information as an excuse to not give them her opinion on the matter. She happened to be on Pantora for a short visit home, so while it was more difficult to contact officials on Coruscant, she could at least deal with the Destroyer in person when it arrived. After a few hours of contacting various officials and giving them a piece of her mind in regard to the matter, she was directed to someone who reluctantly gave her the name of the individual in command of the Star Destroyer: Admiral Thrawn.

Her focus quickly turned to finding any information she could on the Admiral, which proved significantly more difficult than anticipated. The man was nearly a ghost. Nobody she contacted knew who this mystery Admiral was. Roig, a Senator who Riyo wasn't particularly fond of but who knew everyone who was someone in the Empire, was the 7th or 8th person Riyo contacted and the first who was even familiar with his name.

She forced a polite smile, running her fingers over the smooth corner of her work desk to keep herself from snapping at the air-headed woman. "Carved from ice? I'm afraid I don't know what that means. Can you elaborate?"

"I met him once, years ago at a party. He was only a Lieutenant at the time, so he must have worked his way up the ranks pretty quickly if he's an Admiral now. Wullf Yularen was carting him around, touting the man like he was the best thing to happen to the Empire since Palpatine."

It took everything in her to not laugh at the statement. What in the name of the Force had the galaxy come to that such a statement meant positive thing?

But the fact that Yularen was familiar with the man gave her the tiniest bit of faith. If he was fond of this Admiral maybe this whole ordeal wouldn't be a complete disaster. She hadn't spoken to Yularen in years, but she would have to reach out to him to feel out this situation further.

"Did you speak with this — Thrawn — much?" She looked at the man's full name, typed out on a message she received on her datapad. _Mitth'raw'nuruodo._ The Imperial who finally gave her his name stumbled through trying to pronounce it a few times before giving up and resorting to a shortened version also indicated in the personnel profile.

"Unfortunately I didn't talk with him enough to give you much advice on his character. He's fascinating but… But have you ever had a conversation with someone and suddenly felt you were being observed like a specimen in some bizarre experiment?" She shook her head. "He's strange; it's hard to describe him. He was polite — very polite, in fact. My memory could be off. I may have been a little… inebriated. You know how those parties go. But in the ten or fifteen minutes I spoke with him, I got the impression I was conversing with a glacier. A tall, intelligent, well-mannered glacier."

Riyo wasn't sure how to make sense of such a description. Roig wouldn't be much help beyond referring her to Wullf. "Well, thank you. I'm sure Yularen can help me as well. It will be a nice excuse to catch up with him."

"Oh!" Roig's eyes lit up like she struck gold among her alcohol-hazed memories. "He's Pantoran. Did you know that? That's probably why he was assigned a mission in your area."

Riyo paused. "That can't be right. There isn't a Pantoran Admiral in the Imperial Navy. I would certainly know if there were."

Roig shrugged. "He had a thick accent, but I couldn't place where it was from. Maybe he's not from Pantora, but he sure looked like he was."

* * *

Riyo met Wullf Yularen in her early days as a Senator, and quickly added him to her small list of "good officers". Always polite and reasonable, he stood in sharp contrast to the other Imperial military leaders she'd interacted with, who had only grown more aggressive and domineering since the fall of the Republic. Yularen was a man of classical values and good taste, and an advocate of efficiency and order but never of abuse of power. Speaking with him made her miss the days when her interactions with galactic military forces meant working with people such as Kenobi, a time when those in power believed reason triumphed over might and peaceful resolutions were preferable to quick ones.

"It's been too long, Senator. How have you been?" His white mustache shifted with a slight smile, and she was overcome with a strange sense of sadness. The last time they spoke his mustache was dark gray. Had that much time really passed since she saw him last?

She kept her posture straight, sitting in her high-backed desk chair as she studied the projection of the aging man hovering above her desk. "I'm very well, Colonel. Busy, much like yourself. I'm glad I was able to contact you."

"You reached out at just the right time. I'm actually in my office today, by chance. What can I help you with?"

"I just received word Pantora is expected to host a Star Destroyer that will be stationed in our area for a mission. I believe you may be familiar with the commanding officer — an Admiral Thrawn?"

She watched his reaction closely, hoping his initial expression would give away anything he might attempt to hide when he spoke. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but there was no hint of a frown or any concern. She trusted Yularen enough to believe he held a genuine concern for the well being of Imperial citizens and knew he was not blind to the corruption of certain naval officials. If he wasn't concerned, she didn't have nearly as much to worry about. "Ah, yes, Thrawn. You can trust the mission is in good hands, and that Pantora won't see any misbehavior from him or his crew. The man runs a tight ship."

So she was dealing with a well-mannered iceman who ran a tight ship. The lack of concrete information was maddening, but Yularen's faith in him did bode well. "That's reassuring. As you know Pantora prefers to operate in a very autonomous manner. We aren't used to having any sort of military presence other than our own. The presence of an Imperial military force will make the people here nervous."

"You and your people have no reason to worry, Senator. I'm surprised nobody set up a meeting between the two of you prior to this. Are you expecting him to arrive soon?"

"Unfortunately it hasn't been deemed necessary for me to have much information at all in this matter. All I know is that they should arrive in a few days."

"I'll let him know he should see you as soon as he arrives. I'm sure a meeting with him will help quell your concerns."

If the Imperial Navy were run by individuals with half the sense and a quarter of the morality of Yularen, she might actually be fond of the institution. "Yes, I think that would be appropriate. Please do." She paused, wondering if her next question was so improbable she shouldn't even ask. "I've heard the Admiral is Pantoran. Is that correct?"

"I'm afraid not, in fact, I doubt he's even met a Pantoran before. He seems to be mistaken for one quite frequently, though." His white mustache twitched as he tried to hide a laugh. "Between you and me, I think he's slightly irritated by it."

Her third transmission in regard to the Star Destroyer's presence was a fine glaze of chaos to coat the situation. Ardella Seccom was maybe 20 years Riyo's senior and looked like she'd lived through a great deal of trauma, most likely because she had. She was a veteran of the Clone Wars and had seen more than her fair share of combat. She was also the leader of the Rebel cell located in Pantoran space, which Riyo had been secretly aiding for years.

They'd been lucky enough to see little to no Imperial presence in the area thus far, so the cell primarily focused on accumulating resources. As it stood, many small Rebel cells were secretly scattered across the galaxy. But recent conversations with Bail and Mon led Riyo to think the time would come — possibly very soon — to unite all those scattered pieces. When that time came, the Pantoran cell would serve as a major source of supplies and munitions simply because they'd been able to fly under the Empire's radar for so long.

Riyo's contact with the cell was extremely limited for security purposes. Her role was to make sure they were funded, to help find covert ways to send them supplies, and to keep her finger on the pulse of any Imperial activity in the area. Ardella was the only member who was even aware Riyo was directly involved with them.

"A Star Destroyer?" Ardella's flickering projection frowned deeply.

"I'm afraid so."

"Do you have any information on the Admiral in charge?"

"Very little, but I'm meeting with him in person as soon as he arrives. His name is Admiral Thrawn."

She shook her head. "I don't think I've heard of him."

"It seems not many have. I'll be sure to send you any information I find. Do you plan to confront his forces?"

"We can't allow the Empire to set up any operation close to our base, but I'm afraid we don't have the means to fight a Star Destroyer." She paused, chewing her lip as she thought. "I think we can do some damage."

"I hope you understand my priorities in this situation, Ardella. I know you want to slow down whatever they're doing so close to your base, but I want the Star Destroyer out of Pantoran space as soon as possible. I'm certainly willing to do what I can to help sabotage their work, but they need to be gone from Pantoran space before I'll do anything."

"I understand that Senator, but right now what we need more than anything is information. I won't send any of my people in to fight them without having a clue what we're fighting. Details about their mission, their ship, anything would be immensely helpful."

She sat back in her chair, mulling over the situation. "It benefits everyone for me to form something of a false alliance with them. They'll give me information I can feed to you, and they'll be more cooperative when it comes to moving them out of Pantoran space quickly."

"The most helpful thing you could do is get us information."

"I can manage that. The Department of Starship Regulations will send them a demand to inspect all the ships they have in Pantoran space after they arrive. I planned to excuse them from it in order to expedite their departure, but maybe I won't. It should at least slow them by a few days. That should be enough time for me to work my way in with them, and for you to prepare anything you need on your end." She nodded, "That is the absolute most I'm willing to delay them from leaving our space. I can't compromise the Pantoran people any further."

"Understood. Your help is appreciated, as always."

"I trust you'll keep our agreement in mind, Ardella?"

"Of course. We'll keep all conflict off Pantora and its protectorates."

It was her one and only condition for helping the Rebels. Pantora was lucky enough to not have seen any conflict in a very long time, and as a representative of the people there, she was obligated to ensure it remained that way. They had her aid as long as her involvement with the cell didn't interfere with her duties to protect her own people.

* * *

"Admiral, I hear you're on your way to Pantora." Yularen's holo image looked mildly amused, probably because of the irony - Thrawn, being sent on a mission to a moon full of people he was consistently mistaken for.

Eli hadn't ever been to Pantora, nor had he ever met a Pantoran, so he really wasn't sure what to expect other than blue people. He stood next to Thrawn, wondering how Yularen found out about their mission. Maybe he was contacting them to offer friendly advice.

"I am," Thrawn said. "But I am curious to know how you found out? Are you keeping that close an eye on my career?"

"I wish I had the time for such things." Yularen laughed. "Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora contacted me, I guess she hasn't been given much information about your intentions near her home. Naturally, she's concerned. When you arrive I suggest you make a point to visit her."

"Our business in the area does not concern Pantora. She has no reason to worry."

Yularen's mustache tilted downward, "It may not, but Riyo has been a Senator for quite some time and holds a great deal of influence. If you don't have her support, she can make things incredibly difficult for you in that area of space."

"That would be counter to her best interests."

"Good, now go reassure her of that," Yularen said shortly. "Frankly, Admiral, the Senator is one of the few good ones we have left. All you need to do to win her favor is respect her wishes and reassure her you won't misbehave on Pantora. Honestly, you could use a few good political allies if you're going to keep getting court-martialed as often as you do. So I highly suggest you speak with her upon your arrival, and try to be nice."

Thrawn nodded, "The suggestion is appreciated. I will visit the Senator once we have reached Pantora."

When the transmission ended, he turned to Eli, "Are you at all familiar with this Senator?"

Eli shook his head, "Not really. I've heard her name a few times before; they say she's pretty outspoken."

Thrawn nodded slowly, sinking back into his seat with his fingertips pressed together. "Commander Vanto, please gather any information you're able to find on the Senator. I would like to know more about her prior to our meeting."


	2. Chapter 2

_The key to mastering first impressions lies in your awareness of the many factors that color one's judgment: Posture, eye contact, body language, physical appearance, diction… all these minute elements play an important role in shaping perception. But beyond those aspects are a set of even more significant ones that you cannot control: external elements such as the weather, the mood of the observer, and perhaps most importantly the prior experiences of the observer._

 _My work as a Senator taught me very quickly that it's crucial to always keep these factors in mind when observing and forming opinions of others, but it is equally imperative to recognize and control them as much as possible when you are the one being assessed._

* * *

Kenzo Nui forced himself into Riyo's life against her own wishes, and quickly became the best thing that ever happened in her career. A fresh University student, he turned up at her front desk to speak with her about an internship opportunity years ago. She didn't have an opening for an intern at the time, but he more or less refused to leave until she at least spoke with him in person. She was unimpressed by the gesture and, prior to going to the front office to meet him, resolved to inform him she would never allow someone to work for her who insisted on wasting her time in such a manner.

The boy — not even two decades old at the time — completely overturned her expectations. He quickly apologized for wasting her time and thanked her for giving him a few moments, then launched into his pitch: he was a strong proponent of diplomacy, and had a deep desire to do work that would improve the lives of everyday Pantorans. He was polite, and extremely well worded, but never came across as a sycophant. He wasn't there because he wanted to get into politics. He was there because he wanted to do good for the Pantoran people, and he believed they shared a similar vision for how that could be achieved.

It may have also helped his case that he was from the same area of Pantora where she was raised.

As it turned out, that unusual mix of stubbornness and charm was exactly what made him such a magnificent assistant. He became an irreplaceable resource, her right hand in every significant action she made in the years since they began working together. He understood her vision, and after years of training he knew her connections sometimes better than she did. He was well-spoken and tasteful, but his stubborn streak proved useful as well — if she assigned him a task, he wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

The only part of her work that Kenzo was entirely uninvolved in was her alliance with the Rebel cell. She pondered the potential many times — with his resourceful ways and hard-headed determination, he would be an extraordinary addition to the Rebellion. But she would never make the mistake of even asking because he would see it as nothing less than a gross personal violation. Kenzo had a painful history with Rebels and a strict code against aggression of any sort. He was a pacifist to his core, and his heart was entirely dedicated to helping the people of Pantora. Talking to him about the possibility would simply be wrong. She took care of that portion of her obligations privately, unknown to even him.

Kenzo spent most of his time on Coruscant with her, but they were both happy when opportunities arose for them to return to Pantora, even if it was only for a small amount of time. She preferred her office on Pantora to the one on Coruscant, if nothing else for the view. It sat on the top floor of a tall building in the capital, with walls of glass giving way to a spectacular view of the city, like a constant reminder of what she worked for.

Her private office was sectioned off by century-old, ceiling-height doors, adorned with metalwork from one of Pantora's finest artisans. A reception area was immediately outside the doors, with guest seating and a beautifully crafted desk that Kenzo insisted on claiming as his own. She offered to hire a receptionist so he could use a private office, as he did on Coruscant, but he insisted that while at home he wanted to sit in the reception area, where he could greet any visitors himself. She was reluctant to allow it, but their visits here were usually so brief it never became a disturbance to his work.

They began each morning with the same routine: a brief meeting in her office to talk through any upcoming events and outstanding projects.

"… and Senator Vinorall's birthday is next week…"

She winced. "That's right. Do you remember how awful he was when I forgot last year? He threatened to raise tariffs on Pantoran goods just because I forgot to send him a gift."

"I do remember that, and that's why you've already sent him a generous gift with a heartfelt note."

He had developed an eerie ability to know what she needed before she even knew she needed it. "Thank you. What did you send him?"

"Breath fresheners."

She nearly choked on her morning tea. "You didn't really, did you?"

He didn't look up from the datapad, trying to keep his small grin hidden. "Of course not, he's getting a nice bottle of wine."

"I was a little afraid you might be attempting to instigate a trade war..."

Kenzo moved on with the agenda, still entertained by his own joke. "That brings us to the main event of the day: the Imperial Navy's ship is due to arrive this morning. If there's anything you need to help further prepare let me know."

"I don't know that there's much to do prior to their arrival. I'm still not sure what to expect. The only information I have is that their leader to be a well-mannered iceman."

His eyebrows pinched together. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Kenzo. You'll let me know when he's here?"

"I will, but… you don't plan to greet him when he lands like you do with most visitors?"

"Certainly not." She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. This was a prime learning opportunity for Kenzo. They'd never run into a situation like this before, so it was important he learned how they could control the situation from the start. "They need to understand if they're going to be here against our wishes, they will have to operate on our terms. So yes, I am making him come to me."

"That sounds reasonable. I'll let you know when he arrives." Kenzo stood from his seat, making his way to the tall double doors.

She busied herself working through a few bills the Senate would soon vote on, making notes on important content and questionable items. A few hours later a message appeared on her screen:

 _K: Admiral Thrawn is here to see you, along with his assistant._

He was perfectly on time, down to the minute. She shouldn't have expected anything different from an Admiral.

Her mind had run wild over the past few days trying to piece together what to expect of the man. What sort of non-human did it take to achieve a rank of such significance in the Imperial Navy? It certainly can't have been an easy feat; he must be exceptional, by Imperial standards at least. He would have to exemplify everything the Empire loved in its military: ruthlessness, aggression, egotism... But Yularen's liking of him was a major inconsistency. He generally wasn't fond of hyper-aggressive tactics. And Roig explicitly mentioned he was well-mannered. None of it added up.

Overwhelmed with curiosity, she responded:

 _R: What is he like?_

Kenzo's reply didn't come quickly — his responses rarely did. He was always careful with his words, picking through his vocabulary to find the precise phrase to convey his meaning. When it did finally appear on her screen, it was just one word:

 _K: Glacial._

Evidently, she would have to draw her own conclusions.

 _R: Tell him I'm preoccupied, I'll let you know when to bring them in._

After years of trial and error, she learned presentation was one of the most important factors in dealing with powerful people. If you slipped up — spoke too quickly or quietly, had a messy desk or an unassuming office — it was seen as a sign of weakness. A vicious person would exploit any venerability they found. Her message needed to be explicitly clear: she was the one who held power in this situation. If he and his crew respected that she would find time in her schedule to help them with whatever they needed.

She finished the last section of the bill she was reading through and took her time tidying her desk — neat but not too neat, enough to make it clear she was excessively busy and the military presence was yet another thing she had to deal with. When she felt they had waited long enough, she messaged Kenzo to bring them in.

As the doors swung open she stood from her desk — not out of respect, but because sitting was a formality reserved for respected people who she wanted to welcome.

Kenzo entered, followed by a man who she would have mistaken for Pantoran if it weren't for his eyes. They were red, glowing brilliantly against his blue skin. He walked with impeccable posture, his neck stiff and proud. His shoulders were broad, clearly built from years of physical training, and he stood even taller than Kenzo. He turned his head slightly, observing his surroundings as he walked into the office. If it weren't for the turn, she wouldn't have been able to tell where exactly he looked. He didn't have any pupils.

 _Glacial._ The description made sense now that he stood in front of her, towering over her like a wall of ice she had to somehow overcome.

He was accompanied by a young human, with tawny skin and brown hair. The contrast between the two was comically drastic; while his assistant kept similarly good posture, he wasn't nearly as stoic — the corners of his mouth were turned downward.

Kenzo stopped short of her desk and motioned to her, "Gentlemen, this is Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora."

The Admiral bowed his head, speaking in a quiet, even tone, with an accent foreign to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you Senator Riyo Chuchi. I am Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo, though you may call me Thrawn if you prefer." He motioned to the young man, "This is Commander Vanto, my Aide-de-camp. I received word from Colonel Yularen I should meet with you upon our arrival."

The Commander smiled stiffly, standing slightly back from their conversation. In spite of his obviously poor attitude, he was at least well trained enough to know his place in this conversation.

"Kenzo, would you mind staying in the event there's anything I need you to assist these two with?" She doubted she would actually need him for anything, but it was another learning opportunity for him and she appreciated his input in these matters. Sometimes he picked up on things she missed.

She stepped around her desk, toward the intruder with measured confidence. "Admiral Thrawn, I appreciate you taking the time to visit me. As I understand, your Star Destroyer will be temporarily stationed in Pantoran space while you attend to an issue on a nearby planet."

"That is correct, Senator. Given Pantora's ample amenities, it was seen as a suitable location for us to remain stationed while we work to establish the nearby project."

She stepped closer to him, mirroring his posture with her hands clasped behind her back. He stood nearly a head taller than her, but she wasn't about to give him the impression she was intimidated. "I think when it comes to these matters open and honest communication is key. Pantora is a peaceful moon. Our people value diplomacy and non-aggression. We have not seen any outside military presence in many, many years, so your presence will inevitably cause distress among my people. I need to assure them with the utmost certainty this is strictly a temporary arrangement and that your forces will be removed from our home in a timely manner."

He waited for her to finish, giving a slight pause before responding. "Your concern is understood. You can assure the people of Pantora we will be gone once the matter on Orto Plutonia has been resolved."

"What business does the Empire have on Orto Plutonia?" Of course, nobody had mentioned the details of the mission to her.

"The Empire requires metal resources found on the planet. The intention is to begin a mining operation in a northern location, however as I understand there is a native species which presents a problem for these plans to move forward."

Her head spun. How had this not been communicated to her? "The Talz, yes I'm certain they do present a problem. They aren't just a native species; they're a population of sentient beings. You're invading their home. They have every right to present a problem for you."

His head tilted to the side. "I'm afraid I don't understand-"

"By setting up a mining operation on Orto Plutonia, the Empire is effectively invading a planet ruled by independent beings. This isn't simply mining for resources, this is conquest."

"Yes, I do understand that is your view of the situation. However, our desire is not to conquer the planet, it is to utilize the otherwise untapped resources these people have no use for. What I do not understand is your concern for the planet and its inhabitants. Do you represent them as well?"

"They are my neighbors, and they've been given no voice in this matter. It would be an atrocity for me to say nothing. What are your intentions with these people?"

"I have orders to ensure the Talz will not interfere with the operation the Empire means to build."

"By any means necessary?"

The room fell into a short silence before he responded in a firm tone. "Indeed."

She let the implication hang in the air long enough that everyone in the room should have been uncomfortable. "This, I hope you understand, is an obscenity. For a power as comprehensive as the Empire to invade a planet for metal is simply abhorrent."

Much to her surprise, he stepped past her to the window to look out over the capital city. It was winter, with an appropriate snowstorm turning the city to a blur of white. "Senator, you misunderstand my intentions. I do not advocate for the use of excessive force. However, the Empire requires the resources found on Orto Plutonia and _will_ obtain them. It is my duty to ensure those resources can be collected efficiently and effectively."

She kept her eyes locked on him. "And if that means exterminating an entire race of people?"

"That is not my intention. I would never advocate such force unless it was absolutely necessary, and it rarely is. My objective is to fulfill my duties in the most efficient manner possible in order to promote the safety and stability of the galaxy as a whole."

 _Rarely._ She didn't like that word.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, and said in the most cordial manner, "Your homeworld is quite beautiful, Senator. You have a spectacular view from your office."

The comment sent chills down her spine. She returned to the seat behind her desk, hoping he would get the message — this conversation was over. She couldn't stand to see him look over her home any longer, like a predator assessing his next target.

"It seems you have a great deal of work to take care of, as do I. Kenzo will see you out. I expect you'll remember this conversation and keep your crew under control for the duration of your presence here."

"Your expectations will be exceeded."

"If you have any concerns bring them to Kenzo. He will relay them to me when I'm available." There was no reason for him to think he had any right to contact her directly.

"Understood. It was a pleasure to meet you, Senator." He bowed once more and made his way out of the room, his assistant trailing after him.

She didn't bother responding. The sentiment was not mutual.

Kenzo saw them out, and returned to her side after the two exited the front office.

Riyo tapped her fingers on her desk. "I have a bad feeling about this. We need to keep a close eye on the Admiral. Cancel our arrangements to return to Coruscant, we're staying here to make sure he and his crew behave themselves."

* * *

Eli was surprised to find Pantora was extremely metropolitan and wealthy, despite its location deep within the Outer Rim and vast population of non-humans. As they walked from their small ship into the tall, gold-patterned building the Senator's office was in, he couldn't help a foreboding sense of dread. The capital city reminded him of Coruscant. Places like this always saddled them with loads of red tape, regulatory inspections, and bureaucratic nonsense.

Of course, the Senator's office was on the top floor of the building. As they neared the ornate double doors to her office, one swung open and a kind looking middle aged Pantoran woman with white hair and simple clothing stepped out, trying to hide her face. She was crying.

Looking back on it, he should have realized that was the warning sign that the entire meeting was doomed. They were not about to speak with kind people.

Thrawn was likely having fun analyzing the doors and didn't notice the woman's distress. If they weren't on official business Eli would have stopped to ask her if she was okay.

The Senator's office was as extravagant as he expected. There was a window to the side, looking out over the snow-blown city and two more giant, decorative doors on the wall opposite. The floor looked like it was tiled with expensive stone, and a massive reception desk sat before them that probably cost several times more than what Eli made in a year.

The sole person present was a younger Pantoran man, wearing a ridiculously ornate jacket with all kinds of stitching and far more buttons than was actually needed. His striking pink hair was brushed back neatly, and he had unique gold markings on his forehead and chin. He must have been the one to make the poor woman cry because he was rubbing his temples and looking annoyed when they first walked in.

The man — Kenzo Nui, according to the brief introduction he granted them - took their names and let them both know the Senator "would be with them shortly" before returning to some sort of work on his datapad.

He made them sit and wait, as though neither he or Thrawn had better things to do with their time. Eli couldn't fathom anything the Senator might be working on that would be more important than meeting with the Admiral who was about to spend a good deal of time near her home.

Needless to say, she was just as rude as he expected when she finally did have time to see them. The information about her that he gathered for Thrawn proved her reputation for being outspoken was well earned, but he didn't expect her to have the gall to stand there and order Thrawn around like she had any authority over either of them. The whole experience bordered on unbelievable.

Eli waited until they were safely secluded in the elevator after the disaster of a meeting before speaking with Thrawn. "That was… interesting."

"It was. The Senator is just as intriguing as your research indicated."

Intriguing. That was a very polite way of putting it. Despite serving under him for many years, Eli still struggled to place exactly what his superior thought at times. Thrawn had spent hours looking over the volumes of information Eli found on the Senator, and emerged from his cabin set on getting the woman to assist them with their mission. He claimed he was "interested" in her supposed diplomatic talents. As far as Eli could figure, they didn't actually need her assistance to complete the mission, Thrawn was just curious about her and wanted to see her in action.

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're going to get her help with the Talz."

Thrawn, as usual, was unaffected by the Senator's lack of hospitality. "This would have been a very bad time to ask. She's unhappy with our presence here, she doesn't trust us." A small smile flickered onto his face as the elevator door opened to let them out. "The Senator merely needs some time to adjust to our presence. I have no doubt she will agree to help us when the full situation becomes clear to her."


	3. Chapter 3

_One of the greatest regrets I have in my career is the handling of the conflict between the Talz and Pantora. Because of me — more specifically, because of my complete failure to stand by what I knew was true — people died. Talz, clones, and Pantorans alike. It was a senseless waste of lives. Perhaps a sense of guilt from that failure compelled me to interfere more heavily than I normally would in non-Pantoran matters, but I won't ever again make the mistake of being too timid to express my opinion when I know something inherently wrong is going to happen._

* * *

"What exactly is this test for?" The Commander's condescending tone tore her attention from her work. Her office door was cracked open, and he was in the front office, arguing with Kenzo.

Kenzo replied in his usual calm, gathered manner. "It's an emissions test conducted on all operational ships in Pantoran space. The people of Pantora place high importance on the health of our environment. I'm afraid there's no way around it."

"Right. And it takes so long to process this because…?"

"We are sorry this will delay your plans, but there really isn't anything we can do about it."

A palpable tension built on the other side of the door. "You've got to be kidding me, this is ridiculous…"

Riyo stepped out to the front office quickly. There was no reason for Kenzo to have to deal with the mouthy Imperial. "Is there a problem, Commander?"

His jaw twitched. He was at least smart enough to know he shouldn't speak to her the same way he spoke to Kenzo. "Yes. Your Starship Regulations office wants to run a check on all ships we have located in Pantoran space."

They'd been in Pantoran space for a few days already - the only thing that surprised her was that it took them this long to make a complaint about the inspection demand. "I see. As Kenzo mentioned, I'm unable to do anything to help you in this matter."

"They say it's going to take a week to get all the inspections done…"

"Commander Vanto, there is no need to press this issue." The Admiral's calm voice dripped down her spine like icy water, making her hair stand on end. None of them had noticed him enter the office. "Senator, we are happy to comply with any regulations the Pantoran people have in regard to inspection of our ships. As I understand, they are already apprehensive of our presence. If this will help ease tensions with them it is a small sacrifice to make. The delay will not have any bearing on our ability to achieve our objective."

The younger officer frowned like he disagreed, but hid his disapproval from his superior.

She turned to the Admiral, "I'm glad to hear that. I cannot make exceptions to Pantoran regulations simply because it doesn't fit the Empire's timeline."

"That is understandable. If you aren't too busy, Senator, I have a matter I hope to discuss with you privately."

Fifteen years ago, she would have been afraid to face the man alone. It didn't even remotely faze her now. "I think I can spare a few moments."

He ordered his assistant to wait outside while they finished and followed her into her private office. She turned to face the glacier, not bothering to offer him a seat. She needed to be on his good side, but she still couldn't risk coming across as a pushover. "What can I help you with, Admiral?"

A confident, devilish grin played at the corners of his mouth, the expression of a man who knew he'd already won the battle before it even started. As for what battle he was so certain he'd won… that remained to be seen. "I have been looking further into available information about the Talz. You were involved in Pantoran negations with them during the Clone Wars, correct?"

Her neck was too tense to nod. So he'd done his research on her. She shouldn't have expected any less. "I was."

"I believe you may be able to lend some insights that would benefit us."

The suggestion made her want to recoil. "Forgive me, Admiral, but I will not assist you in waging war against the Talz."

"I expected as much. My hope was you would perhaps be motivated to help us navigate this issue as peacefully as possible."

"Is there a peaceful way to tell someone you're taking over their home and not giving them any say in the matter?"

"I imagine not. But perhaps you can help them see reason. Much like you, Senator, I would prefer to avoid any unnecessary conflict."

The whole thing was unnecessary. He ought to take his crew and return to Coruscant and his Emperor because he was not and never would be welcome here, by either the Pantorans or the Talz. But she swallowed the words, because becoming his enemy was counterproductive to every one of her goals.

"What is it you want to know?"

He inhaled deeply, his hands drawn behind his back as he walked about her office like he was perfectly welcome there. "What can you tell me about your initial contact with them?"

She considered her words carefully. What information she chose to withhold would be important. "The Talz are… tribal. Primitive compared to what we are used to. I can't say I know much about their combat tactics, I was removed from that portion of the conflict."

"Tactical details are not necessary." He waved a hand. "You were directly involved in negotiations with them?"

"I negotiated a peaceful end to the conflict with one of the tribe leaders."

He fell into a contemplative silence. It was supremely irritating that she couldn't tell if he was looking at her or out the window, but he finally stepped to the view, breaking his silence as he faced the snowstorm brewing outside. "Would you consider leading negotiations with the Talz?"

She frowned. "Admiral, I do not operate as a representative of the Empire. As I mentioned before, I will have nothing to do with your mission. War is not my business."

"I understand your position, however, I suspect there is a way to approach this situation without causing any conflict. If you were able to negotiate with them successfully years ago, there is a good chance they will listen to you again."

She looked at him quietly. "You're asking me to negotiate their surrender?"

"I think you could make them see the logic of not fighting a force they clearly will not win against, especially when our presence on their planet is only temporary. There is no need for any blood to be shed over this."

"I'm not a mouthpiece of the Empire. That's your job."

He turned to the door to leave, unaffected by her blunt response. "Please consider my request. I will not continue this endeavor until our starships have completed your inspections, so you have some time to decide." He paused. "Senator Chuchi, I do not require your assistance in this matter. But I would prefer it."

* * *

The door to the Senator's private office closed, leaving Eli trapped in the reception area with the pink-haired assistant. He was almost worse than the Senator, in his own way. Every time Eli spoke to him he responded with short, dismissive statements and a snobbish tone, and he acted like he could barely stand even looking at him.

To no surprise, Kenzo didn't appear happy to be stuck in the reception area with Eli either. He scowled at his work screen like he was trying to ignore his presence.

Eli looked at the list of inspection demands once more. This was utterly ridiculous, regardless of what Thrawn thought. It was a waste of everyone's time.

"This can't be serious. It doesn't even make sense. You guys are worried about pollution… in space?"

He took his time finishing typing something, then sighed. "My understanding is that most ships that enter Pantoran space eventually enter the atmosphere of Pantora or one of our protectorates. It's a preemptive measure."

"It's a ridiculous policy, the only reason it exists is to extort money from anyone who passes through. Most of our ships are solar powered anyway."

"I suggest you take your complaint up with the board of Starship Regulations, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to hear your opinion. If your ships are solar, they should pass without a problem. You have no reason for concern."

"No reason for concern other than wasted time. They're counting our whole Star Destroyer as a "ship" that needs to be inspected."

Kenzo still hadn't even bothered to turn away from his screen, but he pinched his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his long nose. "I don't know what that is."

"A Star Destroyer? You really don't know what a Star Destroyer is?"

He quirked an eyebrow slightly and finally granted Eli a brief glance. "I have no reason to know what it is."

How could anyone not know what a Star Destroyer was? "It's our really big… vessel."

"Oh, I see. Like a giant… ship?"

His sarcasm was not lost on Eli. He tried to explain. "Calling it a ship would be like calling this city a village."

"It flies through space, right? And it carries things, right?"

"Yes but…"

"I'm certainly no expert, but that sounds like a ship."

"Right, but you don't understand: it's massive. It holds as many people as a city…"

The Pantoran turned back to his work. "Sounds like a big ship. There's nothing we can do about it."

Eli let it go because there was clearly no reasoning with him. The room grew quiet.

Kenzo inhaled sharply and he braced himself for another snide comment. "Is that _really_ what you call them? _Star Destroyers_?"

"… Yes?"

He frowned. "Well, that's telling, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're getting at."

"It speaks volumes about your purpose."

"Ha." Well, that explained his attitude. He was one of those people who thought the Navy went around the galaxy terrorizing citizens. "I see what you're trying to say."

He shrugged, returning to his work once more. "Am I wrong? If you had any good intentions with that thing you might call it a Peace Keeper or a Freedom Flyer."

Eli rolled his eyes and focused on the datapad he brought along. At least he had some work saved on it to keep him busy while Thrawn met with the Senator. Anything to distract him from this conversation.

"Or," the receptionist's tone dripped with irony, "you could even stop stroking your own egos and just call it a ship."

* * *

Riyo took her time making the decision. It was not an easy one to make, but ultimately the Admiral was right. If anyone stood a legitimate chance of holding successful negotiations with the Talz, it was her. If she simply left the matter in the hands of the Empire, the Talz would attack the aggressors and the Empire would counter by easily wiping them out. She couldn't sit by and allow the Empire to destroy them when it was within her power to circumvent such a disaster.

So with a heavy heart, she joined him and his troops on Orto Plutonia after days of delays due to the inspections Pantora imposed on their ships. If her alliance with the Rebels weren't a factor she would have insisted on taking a Pantoran ship, but the opportunity to be aboard one of the Imperial ships and gather information was too good an opportunity to miss. To her advantage, they decided to bring two ships, one with her and the other with the Admiral. Without him around to watch her, she had the freedom to wander the ship and "innocently" ask questions. The crew was remarkably kind to her and was happy to answer anything she asked. How many of these ships did they have? What was the purpose of them? Were they intended for combat?

They touched down on the planet and she stepped off the ship after a few troopers. It hadn't changed since the Clone Wars — snowy and cold and barren. The second ship landed next to them, and she and the Admiral made the short trek through the snow to their meeting location. A protocol droid rolled through the snow with them, and a few armed guards kept close behind in the event the situation spiraled out of control. The remainder of his troops stayed back slightly farther, ready to spring into action if needed.

Their meeting place was familiar: the same location she met with the Talz for their original negotiations, years ago. The staffs were still stuck crossed in the snow, as though the harsh weather had frozen time. The hat of the chairman who had passed during the battle still hung on one, looking weathered but unmoved.

The Admiral walked around the spears, looking at them curiously through the tinted snow goggles he wore. "It bodes well that they requested to meet in the same location as your original negotiations with them."

It was a sign the encounter would go in the Empire's favor, but the Talz's sentiment stung worse than she imagined it could. They remembered her, and they respected her.

The Admiral finished his inspection of the memorial and joined her side as a band of Talz approached in the distance. "It was a wise decision to assist us, Senator. I have faith that…"

"Don't speak to me." She stepped away from him, making her way to the crossed staffs with the protocol droid. The last thing she needed was _his_ reassurance she was doing the right thing. The sheer irony of an Imperial officer giving her a lecture on ethics…

A shaggy, aged-looking Talz with a headdress and ornamental necklaces stood on the other side of the staffs. She was surprised when he began to speak first. The protocol droid was even caught off guard, jumping in to translate quickly. "He says… Riyo Chuchi of Pantora, it is an honor to speak with you once more."

He knew who she was. As if the Talz's request to meet at this location couldn't be made any worse, they'd chosen Thi-Sen, the same person she'd negotiated with years ago, to meet her.

The droid continued translating. "We welcome you once more to our home. What brings you?" He motioned to the group of Imperials behind her. "And why do you bring so many?"

They were welcoming her into their home. They trusted her. And she was about to drive an icicle into their backs.

She inhaled deeply, gathering herself. "I appreciate your people generously welcoming me back to your home." She needed to tread carefully as she moved forward. While she didn't want to defend the demands of the Empire, she also couldn't speak openly against the Empire's intentions without risking making them her enemy.

"The last time we spoke, you made the choice to live for your people." She paused, the words nearly catching in her throat. "I return today to ask you to make that same decision once more. These people are here on behalf of the Galactic Empire. They wish to build a mining operation on Orto Plutonia in order to salvage resources that they may use. They ask that your people allow their presence without any conflict."

The wind cut between them as the droid translated. The leader's pause before replying spoke volumes — he was confused, taken aback, and betrayed. They didn't want outsiders present during the Clone Wars, why would they now? "He wants to know why your people are suddenly interested in violating the truce you negotiated."

 _These aren't my people._

But she couldn't say that.

"These people represent the Galactic Empire, not Pantora. In exchange for temporary use of your land, they offer protection."

"He asks what you think they need to be protected from."

 _The Empire, more than anything._ She tried to explain that to the Admiral — their offer for security in exchange for resources meant nothing to the Talz. The only threat they faced was the Empire.

"Do you see their ships? The number of soldiers they have? This is only a very, very small fraction of their forces. The Empire is well equipped to eliminate any threat they see to the sovereignty of those under their protection."

The leader was sharp — he caught her implication immediately. "They are prepared to wage war against us?"

"They are prepared to do what is needed for the good of their people, and their people need the resources found on this planet. I ask, once more, that you be wise enough to choose life over unnecessary conflict." _Please. Please just walk away from this, or they will wipe you all out._

"He says they do not trust these newcomers."

 _Smart._ "I suggest your people move south. The Empire only intends to set up a mining operation on this northern portion of Orto Plutonia. Moving south will help avoid any conflict. Once their operation is complete, they've assured me they will abandon the location and your people can return." The long, cold silence that followed didn't help ease her mind. Whether they fought or ran, the Talz would lose in this situation. It was a matter of whether losing meant their lives or their homes.

Finally, he spoke. "Riyo Chuchi, your wisdom has saved the lives of many Talz before. For this reason, and this reason alone, we will honor your judgment in this situation. We will allow the presence of these people, and will not interfere with their operations."

In their original meeting during the Clone Wars, he bowed before departing. He didn't this time. He left before the droid even finished translating his words.

She stood at the crossed staffs for some time, as the Talz disappear into the distance. She tried to gain control over the sudden sensation she was drowning. With a deep inhale, she walked straight to the Admiral.

"Senator Chuchi, your assistance is appreciated. I'm relieved we were able to avoid any unnecessary conflict."

She couldn't believe the man was crass enough to thank her.

His expression softened and he spoke quietly, so nobody overheard. "I understand your personal conflict with this matter, but I can assure you that your actions benefited all parties involved."

She looked up at him, biting her tongue to keep from saying what she really wanted to say. "You _understand_?"

"I do."

"No, you don't."

He tilted his head like he couldn't quite fathom there might be something he didn't understand.

"Admiral, I have betrayed the trust of an entire population of people. Any ounce of diplomacy I've worked toward with them has been destroyed. I have assisted in stripping them of their homes, destroying their livelihoods…"

"You helped them see the most logical choice given their situation. Your interpretation of my motives is far too dramatic, Senator. The Empire requires the resources on Orto Plutonia in order to further their quest to keep Imperial territory and citizens safe from any outside threats. You have helped acquire those resources without any unnecessary bloodshed, which was the ideal situation. This is not conquest, it is a temporary arrangement. There was no sense in anyone dying over this, and I am happy we had your assistance to ensure everything went smoothly. You've done a great deal of good for both the Talz and the citizens of the Empire today."

She bit her tongue, chewing over the correct words to say. _Is that the lie you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? How could you — who is obviously someone they would think of as inferior — work to make them more powerful? Do you really think your own people, wherever they are, are safe from their tyranny?_

He stood, patiently waiting for her response.

She couldn't do it. This was too much, there was absolutely no way she could even pretend to befriend this man. "This is an atrocity. Take your Star Destroyer and your crew away from Pantora and never ask for my assistance again."

She stormed back to the ship she arrived on and demanded the pilot return her to her home moon. The only good thing about this was that the whole misadventure was coming to an end, at least for Pantora.


	4. Chapter 4

_The ability to debate, reason, and compromise is what makes good societies into great ones. I've dedicated my life to the practice of diplomacy because I truly believe it gives all citizens of the galaxy the greatest quality of life._

 _But what happens when you find yourself — and your people — ruled by an overwhelmingly powerful government that shamelessly ignores and abuses the basic rights of its citizens?_

 _Let me be clear: I never wanted violence to be the solution. I never wanted the Rebellion to even exist. But it needed to, and I had to be a part of it because as the Empire's rule dragged on it became exceedingly clear injustices against the very people it existed to protect would not end without forceful interference._

 _Kenzo would come to accuse me of poor judgment in the matter. He would accuse me of failing to prioritize Pantora. I can't say I think he's wrong._

* * *

Eli made his way to Thrawn's cabin as the Chimaera readied to leave Pantoran space to a position closer to Orto Plutonia. His shift was nearly over, and he couldn't wait to spend some quality time with his bed. After the Senator's dramatic exit from the planet, a rogue Talz came from nowhere and attacked one of their men. It took five people to take the damn thing down, and it only ended after they shot it twelve times. The poor trooper it mauled was still in the medbay last he checked. The medic said he would make a full recovery, but he was pretty mangled with a broken clavicle and several deep scars. The stormtrooper armor proved useless against the creature's claws, tearing through it like butter.

"Commander Vanto, are we prepared to leave soon?" Thrawn asked smoothly.

"Yes, sir. I wanted to check in with you one last time before I turn in for a cycle. Is there anything else you need me to take care of?"

"I don't believe so. Your quick thinking during the Talz's attack today likely saved that Trooper's life. You did well."

"Thank you." As usual, Thrawn's cabin was low lit. He sat at a table, focused intently on an item lying on it as if he wanted Eli to ask what it was.

"What do you have there?" He stepped closer. It was a necklace — massive in size, with big, round beads strung onto it.

"This was taken from the Talz that attacked our trooper today."

Thrawn had always been fond of art. Eli wasn't sure he would ever quite understand it. He waited for his superior to elaborate, but he didn't. "Er… Why do you have it?"

Thrawn picked the necklace up from the table and held to the light for Eli to see.

His jaw nearly dropped open — on the center bead, painted in bright red, was an all too familiar symbol: the Rebel insignia.

Thrawn's eyes glowed in the low light, "It seems there may be a Rebel presence in this area. I suspect we will need to pay Senator Chuchi another visit sooner than she would prefer."

* * *

 _K: Admiral Thrawn is here to see you._

Riyo stared at the message on her screen. Maybe if she looked long enough it would just disappear, as though it weren't real. It hadn't even been a full week since she told Thrawn to leave Pantora and never bother speaking to her again.

 _R: What does he want?_ _K: He says it's a private matter of great importance._

She could just tell Kenzo to send him away. The Admiral would be unhappy with her lack of cooperation and would likely give her trouble for wasting his time, but at least she wouldn't have to deal with him lurking around her office.

No, she wouldn't make Kenzo get rid of him. This was beyond rude, showing up to her office just days after she explicitly told him to leave her alone. She wanted to tell him, in person, that she would not tolerate this sort of insulting behavior. If he insisted on disrespecting her request, then he would at the very least have to deal with the consequences of deliberately irritating her.

She threw the door to the front office open to a surprised looking Kenzo and an offensively calm Admiral.

"Admiral, was my request last time we spoke not clear?"

Evidently, the rude greeting meant nothing to him. "I am sorry to bother you, but an urgent matter has come up that I need to discuss with you privately."

"Very well," she made an exaggerated motion into her office. "Let's speak." She returned to her desk and took a seat, weaving her fingers together with her hands resting on the surface. She left the door for him to close.

"Senator, I hope you understand I would not return to you if this weren't a matter of importance that directly related to Pantora."

"Understood." She said curtly. "What are you so concerned about?"

"Shortly after you left Orto Plutonia one of my troops was attacked by a rogue Talz. We were forced to kill the Talz in the attack in order to save our own trooper." He set a small projection device on the table and flicked it on. An image of what appeared to be a beaded necklace blinked into view above her desk. "This was found on that Talz. As you can see," he adjusted the image, zooming in on one bead. "It's marked with the Rebel insignia."

Ardella mentioned they had contact with the Orto Plutonia natives once, ages ago. Someone from the cell must have given it to the Talz. While she was relieved the Admiral made his knowledge of the Rebel cell's presence known to her, this put the Rebels at a massive disadvantage before they were even able to mount an attack.

She waved the image away dismissively. "You suspect Orto Plutonia has a Rebel presence? I don't see why this concerns Pantora."

"I suspect there is a Rebel presence somewhere in this area. They tend to reside on less populated planets, so they may be on Orto Plutonia. From my experience, they carry out operations in various locations surrounding their base. Since Pantora is the most heavily populated moon in this area, your people may see their presence, if you have not already." He paused. "Have you noticed any suspicious activity?"

"Nothing has been reported to me. I don't see what the issue is, Admiral. This area of the galaxy would be an awful location for a Rebel cell. I imagine they would prefer to stay concentrated near the core worlds. There's barely any Imperial presence here for them to rebel against — or at least there wasn't."

"There may be good tactical purposes for their activity this far from the core. Given our presence on Orto Plutionia, I imagine we will begin to see activity from them in the area soon. I trust you will let me know if you see signs of anything on Pantora? In particular, you should be concerned about supply shipments. They are often raided by Rebels."

"I'll notify the shipyards and if there is anything suspicious, I will let you know."

"It would be immensely helpful in our investigation if we were able to obtain the shipyard records spanning the past few years."

He'd deduced so much in such a short amount of time. She and the Rebels would have to tread very cautiously moving forward. "Of course. I'll have Kenzo reach out to them and see what we can do for you."

* * *

She hadn't actually met Ardella in person before. Without the blue tint of the holo distorting her appearance the scars on her face had a pinkish appearance, dulled from years of healing. She held out a hand to Riyo. "It's good to finally meet you in person, Senator."

Handshakes weren't a common gesture in this portion of the galaxy. Between that and the accent, Ardella must have spent most of her life near the core. "You as well." She looked to the two unexpected guests accompanying Ardella. "Who are your companions?"

She motioned to the first, a Pantoran man with no facial markings, "Garren Osdov," and to the other, a human woman with dark eyes and somewhat careless posture, "and Mae Amneta. These two are my next-in-command. Garren handles ground operations while Mae handles air operations. If this is important enough for us to meet in person, they need to be here. You can trust them."

This made them the only other two in the cell who knew she was their contact on Pantora. The human looked like she couldn't have cared less, but the Pantoran man recognized her.

He frowned, "I guess that explains why funding has never really been an issue for us."

She ignored the flippant comment and spoke directly to Ardella. "I'll trust your judgment in this matter, but please keep in mind that if my involvement with this Rebel cell is leaked it will be a disaster for both the Rebels and for the Pantoran people. I would prefer if my identity is not known beyond this circle. Understood?"

"Absolutely," Ardella said. "As I mentioned, they're only here because you said this was highly important."

"And it is. We have a problem with the Admiral," she began.

"Our scouts have been watching the Imperial ships moving in on Orto Plutonia." Garren interrupted. "They're acting fast, so we'll need to strike before they establish themselves too deeply. The more preventative measures we can take the better-"

Riyo cut him off. "Right. That sounds like a splendid plan, but you have a much, much larger Admiral already suspects there's a Rebel cell in the area."

Mae stood straighter, suddenly interested in the conversation. Ardella rubbed her mouth, her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Garren hissed. "How the hell did he find out already?"

"A rogue Talz attacked them after I left Orto Plutonia. He was wearing a necklace with the Rebel insignia on it."

The two newcomers fell silent, but Ardella's shock quickly morphed into anger. She turned to the two, her arms crossed. "What can you tell me about this? The Talz never agreed to work with us. They wanted to keep to themselves. They didn't want anything to do with our operation."

The two looked at each other, and Mae finally spoke. "A few of them were curious. We spoke with them, there might have been…"

"Brilliant. Well, you've managed to ruin our element of surprise. Great job, you two." She scowled at them.

Garren returned the hostile look with one of his own. "If people are interested in our cause, we aren't going to hide from them. The whole point of this is bringing people to our side."

"I understand that." She seethed. "But now we're at a massive disadvantage before we've even made our first move."

Riyo butted back into the conversation. There was no point in this internal bickering. It wasn't helping them take any steps forward. "The Admiral personally warned me and asked I watch for any Rebel activity on Pantora. We need to be extremely careful moving forward, particularly when it comes to supplies. He's already fixated on Pantora likely being your source."

"That's good to know." Ardella nodded. "I think we've got a good back-stock of supplies for now, so it may be best to halt everything, at least for the time being."

"That will only work for a little bit though," Mae said. "Once we start taking action against them we'll likely need to resume shipments of munitions and fuel. We can maybe get through a month without restocking, but something will come up."

"I'm confident I can find a way to safely continue supplying you all, but I will need to alter my approach," Riyo said. "I need to be much more cautious moving forward. Shipments will likely be much less frequent."

"We can work with whatever you can get us," Ardella said.

"As far as mounting an attack goes," she said slowly, "I would urge you to act with the utmost level of caution."

Garren, in a brash, mildly offensive move, laughed.

"I'm sorry, do you have a problem with my suggestion?" She frowned at him.

"I don't make a habit of trusting the tactical observations of politicians." He nodded to her, "You were a Senator during the Clone Wars. You're one of the ones who got us into this mess. Let us take care of getting out of it. The last thing we need is more of your help."

"Garren," Ardella shot him a well deserved deathly glare. "Keep your mouth shut."

She'd faced this sort of adversary before; the type that liked to beat their chest and stomp around in an attempt to scare people away. She didn't take her eyes off him. "War is not my business, Garren, but I assure you I am extremely well versed in reading my opponents. The Admiral is no fool. How else would he be onto your supply source this quickly? If you make the mistake of underestimating him it will be the end of this Rebel cell."

* * *

The door to the Admiral's office aboard the Chimaera slid open to reveal him standing before his desk in a manner so dramatic she momentarily suspected it may have been planned. An art piece featuring some odd little creatures she was unfamiliar with hung on the wall behind his desk, lit around the edges in a manner that cast an ominous glow on the room. With the majority of the lighting coming from directly behind him his face was mostly obscured by darkness, save his glowing eyes.

"Senator Chuchi, your visit is unexpected. I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to prepare a more hospitable welcome. I hope our lack of accommodations doesn't offend you."

Given this new setback for the Rebels, she had to reassess her firm stance against befriending the Admiral. They were now at such a disadvantage she would have to sacrifice her sanity and try to tolerate the man just to keep aware of the extent of his knowledge about the cell. She bit back her instinct to dislike him and smiled. "Not at all, I came on short notice. Accommodations are unnecessary."

"I hope my crew has been at least courteous enough that I'm not the first to welcome you aboard the Chimaera."

"It's an impressive ship, Admiral. You should be proud." A little flattery never hurt.

"Thank you." He made his way to the back side of his desk, fingers trailing over the surface. "To what do I owe this visit, Senator?"

She pulled the chip containing the log of supply shipments from her pocket and handed it to him. The records were edited of any suspicious looking activity to keep them off her trail - they wouldn't find anything. "That should be all the information you're looking for."

"I didn't expect you to be so prompt with my request. Thank you." He plucked the chip from her fingers and slid it into a drawer of his desk.

"You know, I didn't need to deliver that in person."

"I am somewhat curious what brought you here in person."

She put on her best repentant face. "I wanted to personally apologize to you. I feel we may have started off on a poor note because of my adamant resistance to your presence in Pantoran space."

"An apology is unnecessary, Senator. As I have mentioned, I understand your desire to avoid any Imperial military presence on Pantora. You are looking out for the best interests of your people. That is, after all, your job."

She looked around the office, trying to discern anything about the man. Several art pieces hung on the walls, and a few were displayed on shelves. "It's odd, I've never thought of it as my job. It's simply my purpose. Nonetheless, that doesn't excuse my hostile behavior. If a Rebel cell is located anywhere near Pantora of course I am interested in cooperating."

"It heartens me to hear that. Your cooperation will be helpful."

She stepped across the room to a winding sculptural structure that was nearly her height. His red stare bored into her as she circled it. "This is beautiful. Where is it from?"

"Lexrul. I find it intriguing as well."

Sculptures, artifacts, paintings hanging on the wall… She would never have guessed the man was an art connoisseur. "You must be a collector?"

"Something of the sort."

She couldn't have asked for a better setup. With an air of victory, she wandered to the next piece, a scroll with delicate lines of foreign text covering it, "We have that in common. I have one of the largest private collections on Pantora."

He still hadn't blinked. "I wasn't aware. Strictly Pantoran?"

"Mostly Pantoran, for obvious reasons. But I do have a somewhat substantial collection of pieces from around the galaxy that I've acquired while working out of Coruscant. If you're interested, Admiral, I would be happy to let you view the entire collection. Think of it as a more formal apology from me. We can discuss how to best deal with this Rebel cell further over dinner and then discuss my art collection over drinks."

He gave the slightest pause before responding. "That is a gracious offer, Senator. I would be honored."

She had to hide her grin. She'd hooked him.


	5. Chapter 5

_I've built my career on the power of words. I have a deep, profound respect for the art of language and effective communication. I hired Kenzo solely based on his talent for communicating eloquently. And somehow, despite all my reverence for it, despite all my years practicing it, I still managed to land myself in a terrible situation due to poor communication._

* * *

Ardella and her two next-in-commands flickered into view above Riyo's desk. "What do you have for us, Senator?"

Riyo stood as she spoke, too excited about the prospect of finally getting quality intelligence to sit. "The Admiral accepted my offer for a personal meeting to discuss his concerns with the Rebellion. He seems open to communicating with me about the matter, so with any luck I should have more information for you soon."

"Perfect. We appreciate the effort you're putting into this. Please make sure you're keeping yourself safe. You're too good an ally; we can't risk him discovering your involvement. Where are you planning to meet?"

"It's a casual meeting over dinner and then to view my art collection. I think the personal nature of it will allow for more open communication than a work environment."

A smile twisted onto Ardella's face. "Dinner and art? Did you ask the man on a date?"

Riyo nearly knocked her tea over. "Excuse me? What? Certainly not. He happens to be an art connoisseur, and I have a sizable collection. The personal nature of the meeting was necessary to establish common ground, to make him feel he can trust me with confidential information."

"… Are you sure about that?"

She drew a cautionary tone, "Yes." Was the woman out of her mind? "Enough of this matter, does your crew have any new plans I should know of?"

* * *

Kenzo squinted at Riyo in a way she was all too familiar with. He was confounded by her statement, trying to make sense of it. "You're going on a date with the Admiral?"

Why did everyone think this was a date? "No. No, that's not at all what this is and I'm not even sure what gave you such an idea. Kenzo, you've known me for years. Have you _ever_ seen me go on a date?"

"I haven't… which is why this surprises me so much. With the Admiral in particular." He leaned back in his seat. "I'd be happy for you under most circumstances, but this makes me question your taste. Flirting with him won't make him go away any faster."

"Kenzo. We both know I don't have time for things like that. This is very clearly not a date, particularly not with that man of all people."

"Right. Because that would be contrary to Pantora's best interests."

"Among many other things, yes. There's no personal element to this. It's simply an opportunity for me to gather more information on the Empire's intentions while they're so close to our home. With any luck, I'll coax a timeline out of him so I know when we'll finally be rid of them."

Kenzo nodded slowly. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Does _he_ know it's not a date?"

* * *

Eli sank back into a plush seat. This was supposed to be a clothing store, but really the whole thing kind of confused him. The shop was more empty than full, with a few sparse items on display. The only thing he was interested in so far was the chair, because it was comfortable to sit in. A few suits hung on display, all of which looked to him like something the Senator's assistant would wear. A table stood in the center of the room, with shoes and a few accessories neatly on display, and fitting rooms were sectioned off against the far wall.

"Do you need my help finding another disguise?" He asked. Thrawn had been strangely cryptic about the reason for their outing.

"I need something that looks passably Pantoran."

A Pantoran disguise. He might actually pull that one off.

"I've been reviewing the situation with the Rebel cell," he continued, casually examining a few of the items on the table.

"Oh?"

"I think we are safe to assume any Rebel cell in this area is most likely getting their supplies from Pantora."

"I agree. You want to start by finding the source of their supplies?"

"If we simply take care of the problem without eliminating its source, we leave opportunity for the problem to reappear. Their Pantora contact must be an individual who harbors a great deal of animosity toward the Empire in order to risk such behavior, and they must be well connected if they have the means to move supplies in a manner so covert it has thus far gone unnoticed."

Eli nodded. "That makes sense to me. I just started working my way through the shipyard records. Nothing suspicious yet, but I haven't looked through enough of it to form any conclusive opinions."

"I believe I may have another clue. I've observed a peculiar phenomenon with these scattered cells: there are common threads uniting them. For instance, the symbol they all use. The one we found on Orto Plutonia is the same one we find Rebels near the core using. In fact, it contains a small modification I've only recently seen core-world Rebels using."

"So information is somehow being shared between these cells? They must have a member who recently traveled from the core."

"Or, they have a member who regularly travels to and from the core."

Eli paused, the implication dawning on him. He leaned forward in the chair, looking around to make sure the shopkeeper was out of earshot, "Wait… Are you saying you think the _Senator_ might be involved?"

A devious grin stretched across his face, "That is precisely what I suspect."

"There have been rumors she's treasonous for years, but they're usually dismissed as extremist conspiracies. It would make sense, though. She's always been outspoken against a lot of the Empire's actions, she clearly didn't want us here from the start, and she would certainly have the resources. It wouldn't be that far of a stretch to think she might actually be involved with them. So…" Eli looked around the shop. "What does that have to do with buying you a suit?"

"I require something appropriate for a meeting with the Senator this evening. She's invited me to view her personal art collection. It should be easy to deduce if we are right to suspect she is involved with the Rebels. The Pantoran attire is simply a guise to diminish her impression of me as an Imperial and instill a sense of trust."

Eli sat up a little. This was legitimately something. Thrawn was eerily good at analyzing people through their art. Maybe he could draw some conclusions about Riyo from her own collection. "Really? That's great…"

On the other hand, he was now in the awkward position of shopping for a date outfit with his boss.

"I expect to solve this puzzle quickly. I'm scheduled to view her collection at her residence after a dinner tonight."

"She already invited you her place after dinner?" He laughed. "Bold, isn't she?"

"The Senator does have a direct manner of communicating. I'm sure it was necessary for her to develop the trait for her career."

"Who would have thought we'd solve this whole thing with a date?"

Thrawn tilted his head the way he always did when he wasn't familiar with a word.

Eli explained, "A date, like a romantic outing."

His eyes narrowed skeptically. "I highly doubt that was the Senator's intention."

"Wait… so it's not a date?"

"The Senator is a woman of professionalism, Commander."

"Do professional people not go on dates?"

He meant the question sincerely. Maybe people at their level didn't date? Thrawn refocused his attention to one of the suits, a dark blue one with reddish colored trim. "I'm skeptical the Senator has time for such gratuitous matters."

It had never occurred to Eli before, but he suddenly wondered if Thrawn had ever been on a date. In their entire time working together, he hadn't even noticed Thrawn throw a vaguely lustful glance at another being. He'd never even thought of him dating, the concept seemed… just weird. The notion gave him a headache.

"Right. I'm sure she's too busy." He really wasn't prepared to have this conversation with his boss, but there was a major flaw in his logic: if the Senator had time to meet up with him to discuss her art collection, then she had time for a date.

The shopkeeper joined them, saving him from further discussion of the matter. He was maybe in his 60's, with perfectly groomed white hair and a suit so well tailored even Eli could tell it was impressive. He gave a polite bow, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Ander Vacio, the proprietor of this shop. How can I help you today?"

"I have an evening engagement to attend and require a suit for the occasion," Thrawn said.

"Then you have come to the right place. What's the occasion?"

"Dinner and an art viewing with a colleague. She has notably refined taste, so something of this variety seems advisable."

Vacio nodded, "Has anything in particular caught your eye?"

Thrawn's gaze shifted slightly to what was, in Eli's unprofessional opinion, possibly the worst piece in the entire store. In fact, it may have been the only piece in the store that was so bad it was nearly offensive. A putrid green jacket with orange trim and metallic embroidery.

The shopkeeper's eyebrows rose just slightly, but experience must have told him to just go with what the customer wanted. He pulled the abomination from the shelf, "Interesting choice, I usually find only my Mirialain customers are interested in this option due to the color." He disappeared into a fitting room with the piece, hanging it on a hook and unbuttoning it. "Tell me about this woman of refined taste you're meeting with."

"It's the Senator."

Eli could just barely see Vacio in the fitting room - His hands froze on the last button. "This is for an evening with Riyo Chuchi?"

"It is."

He pulled the piece from the hook and returned to the main area, sliding it back onto the display. "This won't do. Not if you actually expect her to be seen near you in public." He shook his head and shuffled off to a back room, "I keep my best stock off display, I'm certain I have something more suitable in the back."

Thrawn watched after him, looking somewhat puzzled, then looked to Eli. Eli shrugged, "He must know what he's talking about, right?"

The shopkeeper returned with a few options, all of which seemed significantly more subdued and less awful than Thrawn's original choice. Eli spent most of his time wondering if there was actually a point to him being there with his superior. After trying on a few options, Thrawn selected a reddish suit that appeared slightly uniform-esque in style, and the shopkeeper left them to assist another customer in the front.

"Commander, does this seem appropriate for the occasion?"

Eli may have been the last person anyone should ask for fashion advice. He liked his uniform because it meant he didn't have to think about what to wear in the morning. "Er… sure. She's always dressed really well, so I think that's fine."

Thrawn didn't appear convinced. Eli took a different approach in hopes it would help reassure his superior. "I like the color."

"I'm somewhat fond of this color as well."

"Yeah, it... er… matches your eyes."

Thrawn looked at him for a quiet moment. "Is that good?"

This felt like the most difficult assignment Thrawn had ever given him. He sighed. "I don't know. It's just something I've heard my mom say before. I'm sorry, I'm really bad at this."

Thrawn pursed his lips, still befuddled by the comment. The more Eli thought about it, the less it made any sense that his suit matching his eyes was of any significance. He shouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah, it looks nice. You should buy it." He needed to go out for a drink somewhere once he was done for the day. He and Thrawn, along with a crew of 20 or so, were set to stay on Pantora for one night to oversee an incoming shipment late in the following afternoon. Hopefully he could find a decent bar within walking distance of their ship once he was officially off duty for the evening.

"Very well then. Thank you, Commander." He returned to the fitting room to change back into his uniform. Vacio took the pieces for tailoring and assured him they would be done within a few hours.

"I'm somewhat concerned about what you mentioned earlier," Thrawn said casually as they left the store, making their way into the snow-blown streets.

"About it being a date?"

"Yes. I didn't read any such intent in her offer, but I may easily have missed cues. Are you familiar at all with Pantoran courtship rituals?"

Was Thrawn actually nervous about this? He'd been court martialed more times than Eli cared to remember, but he couldn't recall Thrawn ever coming across as nervous. It must have been a very long time since he went on a date. "Er… no. I'm afraid not. Look, I probably shouldn't have said anything. She's been blatantly rude to us since we met her. She hasn't given any signs of even liking you, much less wanting to pursue anything romantic."

"That is part of my concern though. In our last visit, she expressed regret for her prior behavior and was significantly more agreeable than she's been before."

Eli resorted to a shrug. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know what to tell you."

Thrawn went quiet for some time as they trekked through the snow, back to their ship. "Perhaps it is to my advantage if she's taken an unprofessional interest in me. The more comfortable she is with me the more likely it is that she may let on to something she otherwise wouldn't."

Eli couldn't imagine feeling sorry for the Senator after the trouble she gave him with the ship inspections, but if the woman sincerely did intend for this to be a date she was in for a very strange evening.


	6. Chapter 6

_What exactly it was that made that dinner so entirely different from what I anticipated? Did my own plan backfire on me, making me succumb to the disarming effect of a comfortable, welcoming environment? Was my drink too strong? Was I mentally exhausted after a long day's work and subconsciously desperate for anything that wasn't work?_

 _I've poured over my memories of that dinner, combed through the words exchanged, and come up with so many excuses to make sense of what happened. In truth, there's only one very simple answer: My company was - in spite of my prior appraisal - charming._

 _Strange, but charming._

* * *

Small, intimate tables dotted the floor, fanning out from a central fireplace in a regular pattern. Each table was set neatly, with a crisp white tablecloth that hung to the floor, delicate crystal stemware, and perfectly polished cutlery. The walls and ceiling were covered with green, leafy vines, woven with sporadically placed little lights that gave the entire restaurant a warm glow.

She had Kenzo book this restaurant for her dinner with the Admiral because she always used it for casual work-related meetings. The quiet ambiance facilitated private conversations well, and the food was always fantastic. Seated at the table and looking at her surroundings through the lens of the meeting that was about to happen, she cursed to herself. The place _oozed_ of romance.

She hadn't changed from her work outfit — a navy, conservatively structured suit with her hair pinned back tightly — so with any luck her appearance might help qualm any of his unwelcome expectations. Unfortunately, she could already feel her hair beginning to slip. Only luck would make it hold through the evening.

It wasn't that she was ignorant to flirtatious advances. She'd been on the receiving end of such attention before, though she hadn't really been interested in pursuing such matters. The problem was the man hadn't given a single hint he might have been interested in her in such a manner. She stumbled into this whole situation completely by mistake.

All she could do was make the best of the situation, and bring the evening to an end before it went too far. Maybe she could neatly take back her offer for him to view her art collection. When they were finishing their meal she could feign exhaustion and end it there, with a sincere-sounding offer that they should reschedule so he didn't take it personally. Yes, that would work. Anything to get out of being alone with him if he was under the impression she had a prurient interest in him.

A waiter walked into the cozy space, followed by her guest. For some reason, she expected to see the Admiral in his uniform. She couldn't have even pictured him in anything else if she tried. But he walked toward her dressed as a civilian, wearing a rich maroon colored jacket in a cut clearly tailored to his form, with gold epaulets and a high collar. His trousers tucked neatly into tall, black boots with a rather beautiful, subtle design laid into the leather and a similarly patterned black belt around his waist. It was vaguely militaristic in style, but not overly so, and really very tasteful.

She cursed to herself. He clearly thought this was a date; he'd dressed for the occasion. In the expertly tailored suit, he was disastrously attractive.

He bowed his head when he reached her. "Senator, it is good to see you again."

She forced a smile, motioning to his seat. "Call me Riyo, please. Nobody's around to hold us to official titles, let's keep it that way for a little bit."

"I assume you selected this establishment personally?" He turned slightly to examine the room as he sat. "I confess I have never quite seen anything like it. The decor is… unusual, but interesting. The greenery and lighting provide a very intimate ambiance."

"I meet with business contacts here frequently," she said quickly. "It's quiet; easy to hold conversations."

His attention turned to the ceiling. "It is a pleasing environment. I first thought you must have an unusual penchant for details, given your manner of dressing and the way your office is furnished, but the more I see of Pantora I think it may be a cultural inclination rather than a personal one."

She waved to the waiter almost desperately, "Let's order drinks…"

"Which would you say it is?"

"Cultural or personal?" Roig's comment about feeling like she was being observed by him in an experiment suddenly made much more sense. Polite small talk was apparently off the table in favor of psychological analysis. "Both, probably. Pantorans certainly have an affection for minutiae, but my father did always tease me for being particular."

The waiter reached their table and she tried not to sound too enthusiastic ordering a glass of wine. Thrawn casually asked for the same thing in a tone that indicated he wasn't really interested in the drink.

"What of you?" She asked quickly before he had time to sneak in another personal question. "All art appreciators have an eye for details, so you must as well."

He thought for a moment. "My people are known to be meticulous, but I think my appreciation of such things is largely personal, particularly in reference to aesthetics."

The waiter, thankfully, returned to pour their drinks. She took a quick sip. "And who are your people, if you don't mind my asking? Despite speculation, nothing about you strikes me as even remotely Pantoran."

His posture relaxed slightly with the question. "You're the first person since I began my service to the Empire to confidently assert that I am not. My people are unknown in Imperial dominated areas. They reside deep within in the Unknown Regions."

"The Unknown Regions… You're a very long way from home then. I suspected you might be from somewhere outside the Empire's reach. I've been around a good variety of people from all corners of the Empire, but I haven't heard an accent quite like yours before. They don't have an appreciation of aesthetics, you say?"

"They do, but in a more superficial sense. They fail to see the significance of it."

She ran her fingers along the stem of her glass. "I'll admit, I was surprised to find you have an interest in art. It seems unusual for a military mind."

"An unfortunate but true stereotype. Art is merely a form of communication, and therefore it is an invaluable tool."

"So you see it as a means to understand people?"

"It is much more than that; I see it as a means to understand entire cultures. Art serves as a reflection of a society; given a large enough sample spanning a long enough timeline you can easily discern a great deal about a population."

"I agree, though I've never thought of it as information that could be utilized from a military perspective." She suppressed a frown. Art used to wage war. Not a revolutionary concept, but it still left a bad taste in her mouth. "You must be very good with your deductions considering the success of your career. It sounds like a fantastic party trick at the least — I'm curious, what do you think of Pantoran society given what you've seen so far?"

He took an uninterested sample of his drink. "My observations are colored by my interactions with you, however, I find myself extremely intrigued by your people. I have been mistaken for Pantoran for so long I expected to see many parallels to my own people. I see very little in common; in fact, the most prominent aspects stand out to me as starkly different."

"Is that so? I'm curious." She slid her fingers up the stem of her glass and brought it to her lips.

"In particular, I am drawn to the blending of elements from other populations. For instance, I see a great deal of influence from Naboo in your architecture and," he glanced to the vine-covered wall, "in the prevalence of plants."

He was relatively well versed in art if he caught that. "There's actually a great deal of debate between Pantora and Naboo as to which culture was the originator of our shared taste."

"That comes as no surprise. What do you think?"

She made a wide motion, careful not to slosh the red liquid in her glass too quickly. "We have a long, friendly history with Naboo. They've been one of our largest trade partners since we gained contact with the outer galaxy. Most humans you find living on Pantora have ancestors who immigrated here from Naboo, and likewise, you would find a small population of Pantorans who reside on Naboo."

His red eyes narrowed and he looked at her quietly for a moment. He took a drink. "Spoken like a politician. You didn't answer my question."

She bit her lips in an attempt to hide her smile. That kind of answer usually worked for her, but he clearly had no patience for non-answers. "Fair enough. As an art enthusiast, I would say when two cultures meet ideas flow in both directions, so it's likely a blend."

He nodded slowly, "And what would you say as a Pantoran?"

In spite of his somewhat eccentric behavior, she was almost enjoying their conversation. It wasn't often she met someone who shared her appreciation of art, or someone who wasn't afraid to call her out for failing to answer a question. "Well… I imagine you already know what my answer would be to that."

He smiled, "I suspect I do. But Pantora's extraplanetary connections extend far beyond Naboo, don't they? I have noticed the prevalence of intricate mosaic work referencing that of Ryloth. Low relief sculptures reminiscent of Mandalorian work. Perhaps most unusual to me are the diamond patterns that appear to be an influenced by Mirialan facial markings — Mirial is extremely far from Pantora, yet you have adopted features from their culture. All of these elements can be found in very old buildings. Your people have been open to the wider galaxy for quite some time, and they accept and celebrate the aspects they appreciate in other cultures."

"Trade and immigration have always played a very large part in our presence in the wider galaxy, so yes, your observation is very correct. I may have underestimated your deductive abilities."

He took a small drink. "It is a good party trick, isn't it?"

"It is a very good one." She chuckled, tapping her lips as she pondered her newfound knowledge of him. "I suppose it makes a great deal of sense that you would find so much meaning in art. You're sort of alone in the Empire, aren't you? Art is an easy friend to make. And you're always traveling across the galaxy for work. The places you go probably seem foreign to your crew, so they must feel extremely alien to you. You have a great deal of new information to take in, it seems natural that you would find comfort in something you can interpret relatively easily. Our situations may be more similar than either of us realized. I do the very same thing, in my own way."

His head tilted slightly. "Do you?"

"More so with people's words and behaviorisms than art, but yes."

"Interesting." His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. "What would you say of my people from your experience with me?"

"Any assessment I might make would be biased because you're the only one I've met. It would be like you trying to judge an entire culture off one painting."

He shifted, "It's only fair that you should have to demonstrate your party trick as well, Senator."

She leaned on the table, tapping her fingertips against the tablecloth as she thought. "All right. We'll start with how you speak. Basic isn't your native language, is it?"

"That is correct."

"For a self-professed advocate of efficiency, you are the least efficient speaker I think I've ever met. It makes me think your native language likely conveys low amount of information per syllable. Your brain keeps telling you that you couldn't have made the point you intended to make by uttering so few sounds, so you sort of… ramble on." She shrugged, "Of course, I could be entirely wrong about that. Maybe you just enjoy the sound of your own voice."

His lips stretched at the tease. "No, that is a proper conclusion."

"The question, then, is what sort of societies prefer to use syllable-dense languages. Having more noises to utter allows for minute changes to sections of a word that might convey a more specific meaning — typically cultures that place importance on that level of control value precision and expertise. Your mannerisms reinforce that assessment, though you are military-trained so I could very well be drawing an incorrect conclusion."

"Interesting." He leaned forward with his elbows on the table and pressed his fingertips together before his lips, "What else?"

She pushed a strand of fallen hair back over her ear, "Am I being tested?"

He failed to catch her hint to change subjects. "No. I'm intrigued."

She inhaled deeply. "Well, based on the way you present yourself, I would say they must be very proud. You could very well be the first of your kind interacting with the outer galaxy. Making the first impression for your people is a great deal of responsibility, but you've done so by recognizing and adopting certain niceties of Imperial culture while maintaining your own identity. You've accepted just enough to integrate into the Empire, but haven't sacrificed your own culture. That's a fine line to walk, particularly if you're working for the Empire. So the fact that you're unwilling to compromise certain aspects tells me you take a great deal of pride in your home. It's so deeply ingrained in you that you either can't rid yourself of it, or you simply refuse to abandon it despite any efforts the Empire has made to squeeze it out of you. That kind of pride isn't unique to an individual. It's cultural, it's planted in you before you even have a fully formed personality."

His intense red gaze was unnerving. He hadn't blinked the entire time she was speaking.

"Well?" She said.

"Your party trick rivals mine."

The dinner passed with unexpected ease while they conversed about art and the places he'd been in his time with the Empire. He spoke briefly about his assistant, the one who pouted a lot, who he seemed actually fond of. It was clear he valued the Commander in much the same way she valued Kenzo - a prized talent and source of personal relief when work stopped making sense.

Her hair continued to slip through the evening, faster than she anticipated. As their final course drew to an end, she realized she was doomed to look like a complete mess unless she gave up. She pulled the pin and let her hair fall long, wiping it clean of any hair before laying it on the table to the side of her cutlery. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, my hair is just-"

"Is it customary for Pantorans to be offended by long hair?" He reached across the table for the pin. "Perhaps if that is the case the men should be expected to wear equally as complex styles." He held the long, golden hairpiece between his fingers delicately, examining it. "It's heavy."

"It's solid metal."

"You seem to have a taste for fine things. It's very well made."

"I've always been of the mind that surrounding yourself with high-quality work makes you want to produce high-quality work."

"I concur; I find that people who are excellent in their own craft tend to better appreciate the refined labors of others. What is the stone at the end?"

"Not stone; it's petrified wood. It was made by a craftsman in where I grew up."

He studied it quietly. "You choose to wear something this heavy on the back of your head all day? As a reminder of your home, and of the history there?"

She hadn't ever bothered to analyze her choice in hair accessories before; the thought seemed nothing short of silly. She wanted to dismiss the comment, to tell him she chose to wear it because it was pretty and happened to suit her outfit well, but it would have been a lie she couldn't quite bring herself to utter. The truth was that all her hair pieces were from the area where she was raised, and they were all considerably heavy, and she wore them every single day. The pin in question was one of the lighter pieces; she didn't even think of it as heavy anymore. She'd become accustomed to carrying the extra weight.

His eyes were fixed on her, as though he expected a response. She didn't offer any; her mind had drawn a blank. It was too personal. She didn't want to speak of it.

He offered the pin back, speaking in a quieter, almost gentle tone. "It is admirable. There are very few capable of carrying that weight, and even fewer do so gracefully."

Of course he wasn't referring to the hairpiece. She slid it into her pocket, uncomfortably warm from the comment. "I suspect you are personally familiar with the feeling, though you must choose to carry yours in a less external manner."

Another brief silence took him. "Not necessarily. It is in my name."

"Really?" She finished off the last of her drink, happy to have the conversation turned away from her. "Do you mean by using your family name?"

"In a way, yes. Name structures - and family structures - are quite different where I am from. But it is somewhat similar."

There was something poetic to the sadness of it, that he should have to be reminded of his home any time someone spoke to him while he was so far away. The tone of their conversation had turned somber so quickly, she felt the need to revive it, "I suppose, then, it must drive you crazy to have everyone here butchering the pronunciation."

He cracked a small smile. "There have been many heroic attempts to pronounce it correctly, but I prefer Thrawn just as well, and it saves everyone the trouble."

She didn't _want_ to invite him to her home, but their discussion got carried away and she hadn't had the chance to speak with him about anything actually related to work. Her quest for the evening wasn't done; she couldn't just call everything off now. "Are you still interested in seeing my art collection? I understand it's a little late, but I'm curious to hear your take on the Alderaanian stone engravings I've collected."

"It would be an honor. I am quite interested to see the pieces you have acquired."

They stood from the table and she looked over his outfit again. "You must have purchased your suit here, it's distinctly Pantoran. Is it from Ander Vacio's shop in the city center?"

"It is. I shouldn't be surprised you're familiar with the tailors here."

She traced the gold braided cuff of his sleeve, "You can tell by cuff detail. He does it himself, by hand. It's entirely unique to his work."

She ran her thumb over the detailed work while she waited for his response. When nothing came, she glanced up to him.

His attention was locked awkwardly on her hand.

She withdrew it quickly. That may have been a little too much.

"You have good taste," She tried to bury the strange tension of the moment quickly, "he's known as the best in the city. It's a fine piece to add to your closet."

In spite of her earlier apprehension, she actually looked forward to continuing their conversation at her home. Maybe the suit played some small part in changing her perception of him. She certainly preferred him in that over the drab green uniform. He must have purchased it intentionally, to play on her subconscious bias toward her own kind. In truth, he was still distinctly different despite so many physical similarities. It was something in the way he carried himself - maybe that innate pride she'd mentioned earlier. Pantorans certainly had their own variety of that, but his was different, more commanding. In some ways, it felt more honest than what she was accustomed to.

The suit should have made him look more Pantoran, but it didn't, and she preferred it that way. She preferred _him_ that way.


	7. Chapter 7

_I had a friend who always insisted the universe has a way of balancing itself out. For all the suffering and sadness and fear that happen, she would say, there is just as much joy and love. I was skeptical of her philosophy at first, but I've seen the idea prove itself over and over. There's a great deal of comfort to be found in that outlook. For instance, I like to tell myself that while everything went terribly, terribly wrong for me after dinner, something beautiful and remarkable must have been happening to someone else._

* * *

The bar was clean and well-kept, with groups of people sectioned off in private booths, chatting pleasantly and laughing with each other. It was precisely the sort of bar Eli hated. He made his way up to the front, hoping he could order a beer rather than some extravagant mixed concoction.

The bartender was an attractive young Pantoran woman with gold facial markings and dark hair. She was incredibly polite to him, asking where he was from and what brought him to Pantora ("Work," he told her since Pantorans weren't terribly fond of the naval presence on their moon). Much to his relief, they actually did serve beer. The bartender turned her attention to a few other customers and Eli looked away from the counter, observing the patrons. Almost everyone was Pantoran, save one other human and two Mirialans.

Everyone was so fashionable. One of his coworkers gushed to him about the Senator after he mentioned meeting her — evidently, she was somewhat popular among people who were interested in fashion. Looking around the bar he realized it must be a cultural thing. He couldn't even figure out how many pieces of clothing most of them were wearing. Eli liked to think of himself as a shirt-and-pants kind of guy, maybe with a coat if it was cold. Most of the people here wore pants, a top, belts, jackets or capes, hats or hairpieces, scarves, loopy rope-things he didn't quite understand… It was like every single one of them was putting on a show for someone else.

From a far corner booth, he noticed someone waving at him.

Kenzo.

He froze and considered turning around like he hadn't seen. He wanted to relax and forget about work; the last thing he needed was to spend his evening trying to tolerate the Senator's snobbish receptionist.

But… a certain element of his job was getting close to these people. If the Senator really was colluding with the Rebel cell here, it was likely Kenzo knew about it. It wasn't unreasonable to think he could even be directly involved. Establishing a certain level of trust with him might actually benefit them. And if Thrawn was going on an awkward date to find information, the least Eli could do was make friendly conversation with Kenzo.

He made his way to the table. "Hey… What are you doing here?"

Kenzo sat with a datapad and a beer and looked up at him like the question was stupid. "What does it look like?" He motioned to the opposite side of the table. "Take a seat. I'm just finishing some work for the evening."

"You come here to work?"

"It's better than sitting at home and drinking while I work." He snapped his datapad closed and returned it to his bag. "But I think I'm done for the evening."

"Great… well…"

He ran his fingers through his neat pink hair, messing up the front portion a little. "It's Eli, right? What do you think of Pantora?"

Eli looked around the bar once more, forcing a smile on his face. "It's nice."

"You're an awful liar, do you know that?" He laughed. "You can be honest. It's pretty clear you're not happy to be here."

Maybe he'd made an awful mistake coming to Kenzo's table. "It's not really what I'm used to. Reminds me a little of Coruscant."

Kenzo quirked an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"It's not really a bad thing, I'm just not a fan of— wait, you don't like Coruscant?"

He nodded, taking a drink. "Hate the place."

"Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? Yes, I'm not a massive fan of Coruscant. Corruption never looks good on a city." He polished off his beer and signaled for the bartender to bring him another. "I can see where you think this is like Coruscant. The money and the buildings… I am happy to say we're significantly less corrupt though."

The bartender brought Kenzo's drink, along with a second one, apparently meant for Eli because she set it in front of him.

"I ordered you another, I hope you don't mind."

"Er…" He was barely halfway through his first.

"So." Kenzo started on his second glass with a deep drink. Eli couldn't be sure if Pantorans more resistant to alcohol or if Kenzo was fast on his way to being completely drunk. He set the glass down and pointed at him. "Your boss."

"I don't know that we should discuss-"

"Is a complete pain in the ass."

Eli followed with a deep drink of his own. This was not where he expected the conversation to go, especially not so quickly.

Kenzo waved in a way that indicated Pantorans were just as susceptible to the effects of alcohol. "Don't worry, my boss is a pain in the ass too."

"You're a little drunk aren't you?"

"Psh… no…" He glanced at his drink and ran his hand through his hair again, messing it up further. "No. Don't get me wrong, I adore Riyo, but she's a pain at times. You could never convince me your boss isn't the same way. It's the same with all these…" He waved a hand again, "These brilliant people. They're beyond help, in some ways. For instance: let me tell you a story about my first assignment with Riyo."

Eli drank faster. If he had to sit through a drunken rant about how both their bosses were crazy, he would need at least a few drinks in him.

"There were these birds, right? These ugly little flightless birds on one of Pantora's protectorates. They lived in this very specific area of an island there and had never been spotted elsewhere. As it so happens, that spot also happened to be mineral rich, so a mining company wanted to go in and extract the resource. But in doing so, they would, of course, destroy the only home of the birds. Naturally, Riyo didn't like this. So she tasked me with helping her find a way to halt the company, so we could save the little population of rare birds." He closed one eye. "I think I spent… probably most of my first three months working for her drafting and redrafting legislation, getting backing from biologists and environmentalists, reading through volumes of Pantoran law and court cases trying to find anything that could help us, developing a publicity campaign to raise awareness… all for this stupid project trying to save these stupid birds, meanwhile there are all these actual Senate-related things she's working on — policy issues and whatnot that are actually intended to help Pantorans, and she's completely overwhelmed, but be damned if she would let my project with the birds fall to the wayside to work on something that may have been slightly more… pertinent."

He was clearly still wounded over the whole experience. Eli tried not to laugh at his drunken frustration. "Did you at least save the birds?"

"No mining took place and the rare birds were saved." He hiccupped a laugh. "To Riyo's credit, I think she recognized how ridiculous it was. She gave me a promotion after the whole fiasco."

Eli laughed. "Well, something good came of it."

"For me, yes. Not so much for the birds. As I mentioned, they were stupid birds. Apparently too stupid to have any will to live. For some reason, they refused to reproduce. The entire population died off less than a year later." He nodded, as if he were still trying to reassure himself it wasn't a complete waste. "I think she felt bad after that happened as well. She gave me another promotion. Anyhow, you cannot tell me your boss isn't like that. I can tell he has the same propensity for eccentric behavior as Riyo does."

"What do you mean by that?" Thrawn was undeniably eccentric in his own way, but Eli hardly saw any parallels between the two.

"Listen to them. It's in the way they talk. The words they choose. They both lead with purpose. It drives every sentence they utter. But then they tack on all these extra words for flourish just because… well because."

Eli tried to remember the way the Senator spoke in their last meeting. "I guess I can see what you mean. They both lead with purpose, but they have different purposes."

Kenzo's golden eyes narrowed. "Do you think so? I would argue they have the exact same purpose. They just have completely different philosophies coloring their approach to that purpose. Riyo believes in the power of diplomacy, whereas your boss believes in the power of…" He waved a hand nonchalantly as he searched for the right word. "Crushing the opposition."

"You're oversimplifying. You don't even know him."

"The Navy wouldn't promote an altruist to Admiral."

Eli frowned. "What is wrong with the people here? You're all so resistant to our presence, but Pantora is allied with the Empire. We protect you, we would lay down our lives for you, and you turn around and act like a bunch of entitled snobs. If everyone here hates the Empire so much, leave."

He really didn't mean for it to come out so blatantly.

Kenzo's lips twitched, "Well, I'm afraid it's not that simple. Haven't you heard the rumors of what happens to worlds that try to leave the Empire?"

He hadn't really thought about it, but they were pretty much stuck. He finished off his beer and started on the next. "Well, I wasn't really suggesting you declare independence from the Empire. Of course not, that would be treasonous."

"Well, if you all wouldn't bomb us into a fine pulp we probably would have done it a while ago."

Eli glared at him. "You know, you really ought to be careful what you say, even if you are drunk. There have been rumors for years that the Senator isn't even remotely loyal to the Empire. You don't want to make her look guilty. Unless she is guilty."

Both his eyebrows shot up in feigned surprise. "Oh yes, that rumor. How could I not be aware of it? People like to speculate about it. Can you imagine how scandalous would it be if the Empire had traitors in its very own Senate?" He took a drink and motioned to the bartender to bring more. Eli assumed another would come for him as well. That was fine. He needed another to survive this conversation.

Kenzo sniffed. "Did you know there's a rumor about you and your boss as well?"

Eli gave a fake laugh. "What is it this time?" Bring it on. He and Thrawn were the outsiders of the Empire, and they kicked more ass before breakfast than most people did in a week. There were all kinds of slanderous rumors over the years, desperate attempts to discredit them…

"They think you're fucking."

He choked on his drink, nearly spitting it across the table. "What?"

Kenzo looked utterly delighted. "Is it true then?"

"What? No. No. Definitely not."

"Really? I wouldn't judge you for it…"

"No."

"He's not a bad looking man. Quite a bit older than you, but sometimes that works for people."

"He's closer to my dad's age than my own."

"Hm… not interested in blue men?" Kenzo didn't even bother to hide his laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not offended."

Sure, Kenzo wasn't offended. He was entertained by Eli's adverse reaction to the rumor. "Where did you even hear something like that?"

"Your crew likes to talk." He shrugged, taking a teasing tone. "From what I hear, you spend long hours in his private office together."

"What? No. That's not… I mean, we do, because that's where he likes to discuss work."

He raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"Have you ever talked to him? He's… long-winded, okay? It takes awhile to get through a discussion." They needed to start meeting in a different location. The Chimaera had a conference room with glass walls. That would be a nice, open location.

"You have a lot of trouble controlling your facial expressions, don't you?" Kenzo dismissed the subject with a laugh and leaned on the table, pointing to his temple. "Can I ask you… what exactly is wrong with him?"

Eli shook his head, unsure of how to respond. He'd wondered that same thing for years. The man was brilliant, probably one of the best tacticians the Empire had ever seen. Eli was honored to work under him. He'd learned a great deal from Thrawn and owed his career to the man. But still, there were times… like the fiasco earlier, after he made the mistake of pointing out Thrawn was about to go on a date with the Senator…

Kenzo had a crooked smile on his face. He tapped his brow bone. "I mean with his eyes. Does he have some sort of disease or something?"

He nearly choked on his beer again. "Oh. Right. No. He's not Pantoran. He's Chiss, from the Unknown Regions."

"Oh. Well, that sounds… exotic."

"From what I've heard, they all have red eyes."

"From what you've heard?"

"Yeah, he's the only one I've ever seen. They're like legends where I'm from." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the door to the bar open and a few of the other crew members from the Chimaera enter.

Kenzo made a dramatic sweeping motion, "So you're from way out there too?"

"Right on the edge of the Unknown Regions, yeah." The other crew members walked past him, taking a seat in the booth behind Kenzo. One, a Commander he recognized from the Chimaera's flight crew, stopped at their table.

He looked at Eli, "Hey, we didn't know you were planning on going out tonight." His eyes shifted to Kenzo, and then quickly back to Eli. "Do you want some company?"

Kenzo shrugged, "It's like he can't see me sitting across from you."

Eli couldn't even remember the pilot's name. It was such a strange offer. "Er… Thanks, but I'm okay."

The pilot sighed, "Look, I know the Admiral is all about respecting the people of the places we visit, but they clearly don't care for us or want us here. You don't have to pretend to try so hard."

"You know, this is precisely the problem with you Imperial types." Kenzo continued despite the fact the pilot was clearly trying to cut him out of the conversation. "If you'd pull your head out of your ass long enough to look at the people around you, you'd realize the Imperial brand of "help" is the last thing any of us need."

The pilot frowned, turning to the Pantoran.

Kenzo motioned to Eli, nearly knocking his drink over as he did, "Eli and I were having a perfectly polite conversation and potentially building a connection that could help us see past our differences and find common ground. But rather than communicate openly, you'd like to turn inward and stew among people who only reinforce your own worldview. Pantorans don't want you here because we don't need you here. Given the Navy's record of bullying and extorting resource-rich populations such as our own, it's wise of us to not want you around."

"Given our reputation for eliminating dangerous Rebel cells, you ought to be thankful for our presence."

He rolled his eyes, taking another drink. "Right, the Rebel cell you're not even sure is actually present in this area. I mean, even if it were a real issue… why don't you all just stay away and let us take care of the matter on our own terms?"

"So what, you want to wait and risk them attacking your own people rather than let us take care of the issue before it's a problem?" The pilot's voice kept rising. Kenzo's drunken attempts to make a point were only angering him further.

"I would rather you all kriffed off back to wherever and let us deal with these matters on our own. The Imperial Navy has a nasty habit of overstaying their welcome, so we'd just rather not welcome you in the first place."

"Aside from trying to help you ungrateful people, we do have other important business in the area. Did you know that?"

Kenzo snorted, "Oh, you're talking about the nonsense on Orto Plutonia? The independent planet you people invaded and will suck dry of any resources? Tell me: what do you think the Empire needs that much metal for? So much they can't gather enough from the vast array of planets allied with them? I mean if you actually stopped to think about what you're doing here, you might realize it doesn't make much sense at all. You're not fighting to protect the citizens of the Empire, you're recklessly terrorizing innocents to line the pockets of people who already have more money than any of us could dream of."

The pilot leaned toward him in an attempt to intimidate him, which Kenzo took no notice of. "You don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about. We serve the good of the Empire…"

Kenzo cut him off, "I want to ask you a very sincere question: Do you enjoy sucking the Emperor's dick because you actually like him, or do you just do it for promotions?"

Eli cringed at the comment.

The pilot grabbed Kenzo's collar and tried to force him upright but somewhat failed when Kenzo drunkenly cooperated. Enraged further by the cooperation, he pushed him back against the table so he was nearly dangling over it. Kenzo was most concerned with the way his glass teetered precariously when the table moved.

Eli stood quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey… come on. Let him go, he's really drunk, he doesn't know what he's saying."

"HA. Amazing, did you know," he addressed his assailant casually, picking at the hands gripping his collar like that might actually make him let go, "everything he just said is entirely wrong? I know exactly what I'm saying. And I'm not really drunk, just sort of drunk."

"Are you trying to get punched in the face?" Eli hissed at him.

"Oh. Is that what this is?" He stopped picking at the pilot's hands and squinted at him. "You're going to punch me because you don't like what I think? Brilliant. Yes, go right ahead; beat it into me. That surely will make me change my mind." He gestured dramatically toward the pilot, speaking loudly enough for the whole bar to hear. "Imperial strategic brilliance at its finest, ladies and gentlemen."

* * *

The only reason Eli was allowed to remain in the bar was that Kenzo, holding a gushing bloody nose and barely able to stand, insisted they were friends and that he shouldn't be thrown out. All the other naval officers in the bar had been kicked out promptly.

The bartender was kind enough to lend them an emergency kit. Eli helped Kenzo to a bathroom and threw the kit open, digging around until he found a wad of gauze that he tossed at the drunk one.

Kenzo pinched it to his nose, his eyes squinted shut from the pain as he sunk onto a bench. "I didn't think he would actually hit me."

"Yeah, well… I tried to tell you." Idiot. He literally asked for it.

He mumbled something into the gauze. "It really hurts."

Eli tried not to laugh at him but failed. With his fancy-stitched jacket, he didn't really look like the type to pick fights. "Haven't taken any punches before, have you?"

His golden eyes narrowed to sharp little slits. "And you have?"

"Sure, when I was a kid, just being a roughneck."

"A what?"

"A rowdy kid."

"What?"

It was like trying to translate for Thrawn. "Rambunctious. When I was young and stupid."

"Oh. I see. Well, I suppose it's affirming you no longer choose to take your anger out through direct shows of physical force. I'm honestly shocked you don't do this to each other for fun."

"You're being dramatic." He tossed a whetted wipe to him so he could clean the blood from his face. The incident with the three who attacked Thrawn when they first went to Coruscant came to mind. That wasn't for fun, was it? Not really. They were trying to make a point, to bully him and Thrawn out of their service.

"You're thinking about something." He wiped the blood from his upper lip. The bloodied gauze sat in the trash, and his nose looked slightly more purple than blue. "You look angry."

He shook his head. "I was just… thinking. The last time I was involved in a fight actually wasn't that long ago. A few guys attacked Thrawn and me at the Coruscant Academy. He pushed me out of the way and took the brunt of it though, so I wasn't very involved."

"What? He was at the Academy with you?"

"It's a long story, but yes. It was a crash-course to prepare him for full integration into the Navy."

He frowned and tossed the wipe into the trash. Eli gave him a bottle of healing spray. "They're even more stupid than I thought if they're going after a guy like him. He's quite a bit older, and he looks like he's athletic."

"He actually outranked them as well…"

He laughed into the spray and fell into a coughing fit.

"You're pretty drunk."

"I'm perfectly fine." He swayed as he stood, bracing himself against the wall.

Eli grabbed a chemical-activated cold pack from the kit and tossed it to him. "You'll want to use that or you'll be all kinds of black and blu…"

Kenzo smirked at him.

"Purple?" He corrected, unsure how exactly a Pantoran would bruise.

"Yep. Thank you" He pressed the pack to his nose, and stumbled a little when he tried to step forward.

Eli sighed, going to his side. "I'll get you a cab… where are you staying?"

"I'm fine…"

"You're not. Where do you live?"

Kenzo might have glared at him; Eli couldn't be sure with the cold pack obscuring part of his face. "I'm not far from here, I walked."

Eli proceeded to nearly carry the man through a few snow-covered streets, back to his home — he was _much_ drunker than he was letting on. No doubt the punch had knocked him a little silly as well.

"So your boss isn't really a complete asshole."

"What? Are you back on that? No, he's not."

"I mean if he took a beating from three people to keep you safe…"

Eli remembered his hesitation when he watched the three going after Thrawn. He would never forget his actions or his thoughts during that incident, and he didn't know that he would ever forgive himself for them either.

"They find a way to hook you, don't they…"

Eli didn't bother responding, they'd reached Kenzo's home anyway.

Kenzo slid from his arm and leaned against the door, the cold pack still pinched to his nose. "Why do you work for them?"

"For the Empire?"

"Yes. It doesn't make any sense to me. You don't act like them. You don't adhere to their ideals."

"I think you're drunk. I'm not even sure what you mean by that."

"You're nice." Behind the cold pack, his gold eyes were comically innocent and befuddled.

"I'm flattered, but I think you're being horribly dramatic."

"But I'm not. Look what your colleague did to me just because I expressed an opinion he didn't like."

"Well, you did imply he was a prostitute."

"… And look what those three did to you and the Admiral just because he's not what they think he should be. The Empire — particularly the Imperial Navy — has a deep-rooted issue with violence and intolerance and you're… you're none of that from what I can see."

"We don't have a violence problem. Or an intolerance problem. I mean the core-worlders are…" He waved a hand. "How core-worlders usually are. They think they're the greatest thing ever made and anyone from anywhere else isn't worth anything to them. But that's not what it's like in the Navy. We're made up of people from all over the galaxy."

"I don't believe you."

"What? You think I don't know what I'm talking about?"

"No… but every person I've talked to on your crew speaks like a core-worlder. I have no evidence to the contrary."

"Well…" Well, that was a good point. "Well, I suspect some of them are faking it to fit in better."

"Are you serious?" His tone bordered on disgust.

"You need to get inside, Kenzo. Where are your keys?"

"I don't know."

"The Senator owes me for taking care of you. Come on." He stepped toward him and reached into his pant pocket, feeling for a key.

"Um." Kenzo made a quick motion to the door.

There was a keypad on it.

"Oh…" He withdrew his hand quickly. "You do remember the code, right?"

"Yep." He sniffed, not making any move, his ears flushed a dark shade of blue.

Eli wallowed in embarrassment. He really shouldn't have looked for the key. It only made everything awkward.

Before Eli could react, Kenzo leaned forward and kissed him. His nose was cold from the pack, but his lips were warm and actually kind of pleasant in spite of how unexpected it was.

Eli pulled back quickly. "Er… we shouldn't… I can't."

"But… why not?"

He tried to not be too flattered by the desperate, stubborn way Kenzo looked at him. Something about his eyes was terribly alluring. "It's… er… like I said earlier, there are rumors about you and your boss…"

"Do you actually believe that?"

Possibly. "I shouldn't even discuss this with you. We can't do this. I don't even like you; you're like the Outer Rim's version of Coruscant with your fancy…" He flicked the collar of his jacket. "Whatever this is."

"You're still standing very close to me for someone who doesn't like me. Or my jacket."

He was. Why was he standing so close?

Kenzo kissed him again, but this time Eli pulled back farther. "Kenzo. You're very drunk."

He sighed, defeated, and relaxed back into the door. "It's a pity. I don't think I'll remember this in the morning."

Probably for the better.

Kenzo touched his upper lip. "That's fine though. I can't really feel my top lip, so it wasn't very good."

"Kenzo."

"Huh?"

Eli's face was burning. "The door. Just put your code into the keypad."

After the colossal amount of persuasion from Eli, Kenzo punched his code into the keypad, only messing up three times. The door slid open to a dark home and he made his way inside, bidding a nearly kind farewell, "You know, I still don't really like you but you're not as terrible as I thought."

He collapsed onto a couch not far from the door.

"I'm going to close the door for you, okay?"

He got a hand wave in response.

As Eli started back to the ship, his comlink went off. It was Thrawn. He laughed to himself, picturing the man hiding in the Senator's bathroom calling Eli in a panic because it actually was a date and he had no idea what to do. He inhaled deeply, trying to sober up as much as possible, and answered: "Sir?"

It wasn't about last-minute date tips.


	8. Chapter 8

_I suppose it's a good thing I chose a life of philosophical altercations over a life of physical ones because I've never really dealt with emergencies well. The few times I've been involved in such stressful situations I've suffered from two major hindrances that in every instance would have ended me if it weren't for someone else. The first is my strong desire to ensure everyone around me avoids injury. I have a painfully strong sense of empathy — a handy trait in a diplomat, but a dangerous one when it comes to self-defense. The second is what I've come to think of as a perpetual state of denial: I keep telling myself the things happening right before me aren't really as bad as they are. They're going to stop soon, right? Everyone will see reason and stop this nonsense… right?_

 _It's wrong every single time._

* * *

The glittering lights of the otherwise dark city blurred as her chauffeur rushed them away from the city center, toward Riyo's home. Thrawn sat across from her, looking slightly too tall for the space. The vehicle had always been sufficient for her needs; having company had never been an issue before. But then, he was quite a lot taller than her average guest. His legs stuck out so far his knees nearly touched hers, which wasn't making their situation any better.

She focused on the conversation at hand, trying to ignore the awkward weight of the sleeve grab that changed the tone of their evening. She hadn't meant anything by it, but the way he'd locked onto it seemed to signify it symbolized something more to him than she'd intended.

Or maybe he wasn't actually that alarmed by the action. Maybe it was just a brief, strange moment and he wasn't thinking any more of it, so she shouldn't either. Who would possibly read so much into a sleeve touch anyway? It wasn't like she'd grabbed his hand or done anything even remotely suggestive.

"It's been some time since I've done this," he said.

 _This_? What did he mean by _this_? A date? Or was this referring to something he expected upon visiting her home?

Inviting him back to her home was a huge mistake, she decided. She should have ended the evening at the restaurant and found another way to coax information out of him. That way the innocent sleeve grab couldn't have been misinterpreted as a sexual advance.

She forced a smile and a faux laugh, pulling the hairpin from her pocket and running her fingers along the smooth edges, trying to distract herself from the awkward turn their evening had taken. Everything had been going so well, and then she had to go and grope his sleeve.

She needed to change the subject, to try and get information out of him so this whole thing might actually we worthwhile. "So how long have you been with the Imperial Navy?"

There was enough of a delay in his response that she momentarily worried she might not get one. "About a decade."

She expected him to elaborate, but for once he'd actually kept his response concise. "Did you work in defense on your homeworld as well?"

Another painful delay, followed by an excruciatingly short answer: "I did."

Was she really going to have to force the entire conversation? "For how long?"

"Nearly 20 years."

Twenty years of military service before he came into the hands of the Empire, and when Roig met him all those years ago he was only a Lieutenant. They'd made him start from the very bottom of the totem pole, despite all his experience. Clearly, he'd proven himself quickly, but the thought - all those wasted years that someone with such skill was stuck in low-level positions - was nauseating.

She sighed, racking her brain for another question. As difficult as the conversation had turned, the short answers were still better than silence between them. Her eyes fell to his lap. The braided cuff was pinched between his fingers, in the very same spot she'd touched it, running tightly over the texture.

There was another possibility, one she hadn't considered yet. Maybe he _did_ read something into the touch, and he was just as nervous about it as she was. He'd spent the entire evening so far avoiding questions about himself. Nosing into his life prior to the Empire probably wasn't helping.

"Have you noticed the walkways throughout the city?" She pointed out his window to a park in the distance. "I've always loved the pattern of the walkways from a heightened viewpoint."

The hesitation before his response was slightly shorter this time. He turned to look, almost too quickly, eager for the distraction. "I have noticed. The layout of the city was designed to be pleasing from the view of starships?"

She nodded, "There are still a few blueprints of the original layout of the capitol - it looked entirely different prior to interplanetary travel. Within a few decades of opening up our sky, the whole city was redesigned."

"The entire city was revamped to become a welcome greeting to travelers?"

"Precisely."

He cocked his head, his attention still focused out the window. "The pathways are even kept clear of snow in inclement weather such as this. A sign of your people's dedication to that message."

His shoulders had relaxed slightly during the brief diversion. He must have been nervous. She should have felt better that the tension wasn't only affecting her, but instead, it only made her feel worse. What reason did he have to be worried? He was reading far too much into her small misstep.

"Your home must be outside the city?" his attention had turned from the window, back to her. "We've nearly reached the city limits."

"Not quite," she said. "I'm right on the outskirts."

"I wouldn't have guessed you would choose to live away from the city center."

"I needed something different from my office." She looked out the window to the quickly approaching inky black plains surrounding the city. Her friends told her she was crazy for not finding a home closer to the city center, but when she was home on Pantora she spent most of her day at her office in the hub of the city. She needed something starkly different from her personal space, as a way to remove herself from work. The view facing out from the city — the stars and the wilds surrounding the capital — was exactly what she needed.

She was suddenly aware that there was something in her hair, just below her right ear.

His fingers.

She spared him a glance, trying to figure out what he could possibly be thinking with the gesture. His eyes widened, and he withdrew quickly. "My apologies, you had a leaf in your hair." He cracked the window closest to his seat and let the rush of cold air steal the rogue greenery away. "It must have been from the restaurant."

She brushed her hair over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it, just to be sure there weren't any other remains, and mumbled a quiet thank you. And here she'd hoped the sleeve groping would be the most uncomfortable moment of the evening. The car fell to yet another awkward silence. The look on his face when she'd turned to him… yes, there was no doubt: he was terribly nervous.

She sighed, giving up on her attempt to find anything in her hair. "You know, you don't need to be nervous."

"I was merely…"

She shook her head, speaking over whatever excuse he tried to form, "I'm not trying to lure you into my home for an assassination attempt. You don't have anything you need to be nervous about. I just wanted to continue discussing art with you." The vehicle pulled to a stop and she added one last bit, for her own sanity. "This is _just_ us talking. About art. And possibly some work because we did plan on discussing that and we haven't yet. But that's all this is."

He looked at her narrowly, skeptically, for a moment, and then moved past her to open the door, "Thank you." He stepped out onto the walkway and offered her his hand.

She nearly laughed at the response. There was something so innocent and helpless about it. It was completely contrary to the powerful, confident image he portrayed. She took his hand and stepped out next to him, feeling somewhat sorry that she'd failed to notice his nerves earlier. There really was no reason for either of them to be so nervous. Maybe now they could return to the ease of the conversation prior to her misstep.

The chauffeur drove away, leaving them on the dimly lit walkway. The air held a familiar, biting chill; they were in for yet another snowstorm.

He looked at the building, "I can see why you chose this location."

She'd spent years searching for the perfect apartment in the capital, and now that she had it she nearly felt guilty because she was hardly ever on Pantora to use it. It was located on the top floor of a tall building right on the edge of the city and featured beautifully arched bridges that stretched above the land, leading to long, narrow glass doors for each level of the structure.

"Thank you. It is a good location, I love how quiet it is in this neighborhood." They made their way to the long double-doors, and another gust of cold wind swirled around them. She pulled her wrap tighter around her shoulders. "I'm surprised you're dealing with the cold so well," she noted. He hadn't brought a coat to wear over his suit.

"The climate here is somewhat similar to that of my homeworld. I actually find it somewhat refreshing. I don't see snow often anymore."

"Really? See, we do share more than just appearance."

He stepped ahead of her to open the door, and Roig's description of him came to her again. _A well-mannered glacier._ She was so annoyed with the vague description at the time, but now that she'd actually met him she realized it was perfectly accurate. She couldn't think of a better way to describe him.

He paused, his fingers about to touch the glass. Something about the sudden halt, his tense posture, made her stop.

Everything moved so quickly she didn't even realize the extent of the situation until there were four blasters drawn, one of which was pressed to her skull. A strong arm was wrapped around her to prevent her from moving. Two other individuals, humans wearing dark colored clothing, had their blasters aimed at Thrawn, who had his own drawn and aimed at the man who restrained her.

"Drop it." The one behind her said in a stern tone. "Or they'll be scraping her remains off this bridge before sunrise." As if his message was somehow unclear, he pressed the muzzle harder into the side of her head. She attempted to move away from it, but he kept her tightly restrained.

"What are your intentions here?" Thrawn didn't drop his blaster. His eyes glowed fiercely in the near darkness.

"Justice for Pantora. And the galaxy as a whole, for that matter."

In the reflection of the glass door, she managed to catch a glimpse of her attacker. He was Pantoran, with no facial markings… her stomach turned as she recognized his voice. Garren. _This_ was the Rebel's plan? How had Ardella failed to inform her of such a drastic measure directly involving her? Garren would have no reason to harm her since she was a valuable asset to the Rebels, but the situation was still incredibly unnerving.

"So it's me you're after?" Thrawn still hadn't dropped his blaster. "Let her go."

"If I can be honest I'm not sure which of you is worse: the one who makes war on the people he's supposed to protect, or the one who sits back in her cushy office collecting paychecks and lets it happen."

If it weren't for the blaster pressed to her head she would have torn into him for the distasteful and uninformed comment.

He shifted behind her, bringing his mouth so close his breath warmed her ear. She had a haunting suspicion that if she turned to look at him she would find a twisted smile on his face. "At least he's honest about his work."

"If I allow you to take me will you let her leave safely?"

"Drop the blaster, Admiral." He demanded once more. "Your offer is tempting, but there's three of us and one of you. I don't think you're in any position to bargain."

"That may be true, but I can assure you all three of you would not walk away from this conflict."

Was the cocky bastard really bragging at a time like this? "There's no need for any of this." She finally spoke up, keeping her tone calm but stern. She needed to stop this, to tell Garren this plan was poorly thought out and wouldn't help them. "Nobody needs to get hurt here. Do you realize if you kill him the Empire will send someone to replace him? You're not solving your problem, you're just…"

He jammed the muzzle into her skull again, hard enough to make her keep quiet. "You think I haven't thought of that? We'll just keep eliminating them as fast as the Empire can send them."

This was reckless, short-sighted, and would ultimately be ineffective. "You're making a huge mistake, you need to stop this before-" She couldn't even finish her sentence — Thrawn placed the blaster on the ground, kicking it just out of reach. Why would he do that? Now he was defenseless against the madman and his lackeys.

"Let her go. I'll surrender without any struggle. You have no reason to drag the Senator into this. My influence within the Empire would make me an extremely effective bargaining tool for you." The two others began moving in toward him.

Garren relaxed just a little behind her. "Good. Thank you." He nodded to his two comrades, "Kill him."

Riyo's heart sank. This was pure foolishness. The execution of a high ranking Imperial officer on Pantoran soil would be devastating for her home. The Imperials would respond by declaring martial law and would flood the moon with a heavy military presence in order to find and eliminate those guilty. They would destroy the peaceful lifestyle most civilians had and force them to live in fear of being detained or killed if they spoke out.

Aside from that, they were killing him right before she had the opportunity to get information from him. It was unnecessary, messy, dangerous…

The attacker from the far side of the bridge let off a shot and she yelped. Thrawn dropped, the shot scarcely missing and flying past him into the glass door. A web of cracks grew out from the spot the blast struck before the whole thing came crashing down, shards of glittering glass showering over them. The shrill shriek of the building's alarm system filled the otherwise quiet night.

She pinched her eyes shut as the glass rained down, and three more shots went off. When she opened them again, the original shooter was on the ground with a gaping, smoking wound in his chest, moaning in pain. Thrawn was tangled in a fist fight with the second. Garren cursed, pulling her back toward the edge of the bridge.

"Stop this…" She hissed at her captor. "Stop this right now. The authorities will be here soon in response to that alarm. You still have time to get out of this before they catch you…"

He jerked her hard enough to make her quiet again and called out to his accomplice, "Finish him! We need to move!"

The man reached desperately for one of the blasters lying near them and managed to snag one, bringing it to aim at Thrawn who reacted quickly — he dodged the shot and drove a strong kick into the man's core, sending him toppling back, right over the edge of the bridge. He clung to the ledge, trying to climb back up, but it was in vain. Right before falling, the assailant managed to squeeze off one more shot.

It hit. Thrawn collapsed to the ground.

Garren huffed, keeping his grip on her tight. "The beautiful thing about this, Senator, is that I get to eliminate two threats at the same time, and the whole thing will look like a tragic accident."

Her eyes frozen on Thrawn's collapsed form, she finally understood that Garren really did intend to kill her. To Ardella, it would look like she was caught in the crossfire. He was acting on his own accord, out of some twisted personal animosity toward her.

Ice coursed through her veins as he pressed the muzzle one last time to the back of her head.

The pin. The damned hairpin. It was in her pocket.

"Please don't do this. Put the blaster down. Walk away from this now, before you turn yourself into a target of the Empire and Pantora." She moved slowly, reaching into her pocket and grasping the golden needle.

"Don't flatter yourself. The second they see how much damage you've caused in your reign they won't mourn you at all. Pantora doesn't need you, and it never has."

She drove the needle back, planting it deep into his core in hopes it would be enough for her to escape. He yowled, staggering back from her so she was able to break free of his grasp and run for the safety of the building.

She'd almost reached the door when she heard the shot. An immense pressure enveloped her shoulder, then the pressure morphed into a near unbearable burning sensation that radiated out, consuming her whole body. The pain quickly overwhelmed her and she collapsed, falling to her knees in the glittering glass shards. She held her shoulder, trying to manage the pain by controlling her breathing through gritted teeth. It washed over her in waves, each one worse than the last. She kept her eyes focused on the glow of the building. It was so close. She didn't need to make it much farther… if she could just make her legs to work…

The doors blurred in and out of focus until they were just a hazy glow against the black night. A terrible amount of noise came from on the bridge behind her, but she couldn't sort out any of the sounds. Everything was muffled, confused.

Her gaze fell to the ground when she couldn't even manage to hold her head upright anymore. There were other hands on the ground next to hers. Blue hands. He had a grip on one of her wrists. She tried to wrench herself away, to flee from him again, but the effort drove a hot spike of pain through her entire body.

Everything faded from recognition, and her body finally gave up.


	9. Chapter 9

_If the goal of that evening was lowering inhibitions, it worked splendidly. As for who it worked on… I still question that. I will admit that I stumbled. But did my company stumble as well? In those few intensely emotional moments we shared, did he mistakenly show more of his hand than he intended? Or were all his confessions simply part of his plan?_

 _The infallible Admiral would, of course, claim that it was all part of a master scheme. But I'm not sure how much I trust everything the Admiral says. Those who believe they are guided by logic and reason are often more susceptible to emotions than they realize._

* * *

She woke alone, in a sterile white room she didn't recognize. It took her a few moments to recognize it was a hospital room, with beeping machines attached to… her? What was she doing in a hospital?

The door opened and a woman walked in, dressed in a nurse's uniform. She gave Riyo a surprised look when she saw she was conscious. "Ah, good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Not great. My head hurts a bit, and my shoulder is sore." It ached as if she slept on it wrong.

"All things considered, that's not too bad. The painkillers must be working." She checked a few of the machines and recorded something onto a datapad.

"Painkillers? I'm afraid I can't recall what happened… how did I end up here?" She tried to push upright, but paralyzing pain shot through her shoulder, leaving a ringing sensation echoing through her limbs.

"Careful, you don't want to put any pressure on that shoulder for a while." She moved into a seat. "You were attacked outside your home last night and sustained a severe injury to your shoulder. The memories will likely come back to you with time. We're doing everything we can to help you, but it will take time for you to recover so be gentle with yourself."

"I was attacked?" Her mind raced, trying to remember anything from the night before. She and the Admiral were going to her home. She recalled their conversation over dinner, and him dressed in a dashing suit… but everything after was shrouded in darkness. Had _he_ attacked her? "What happened?"

"You don't need to worry much," She placed a hand on Riyo's good shoulder to reassure her. "The matter has been taken care of by the authorities. Unfortunately, I don't have many details, so I'm not of much use to you. If you don't mind, I need to run a few quick tests. Your assistant is here, I'm certain he'll want to speak with you. I'll send someone to find him."

The woman ran a few scans using devices Riyo wasn't familiar with while she stewed on her situation. Who would have shot her? Thrawn was so cordial over their dinner; it seemed absurd that he might have done anything to her.

The nurse left and moments later her door flew open. Kenzo came in, buzzing with nervous energy. "Riyo? You're awake. Are you okay?"

"I think so. Thank you for being here, you didn't need to…"

"You must be joking." He closed the door, giving them some privacy. "I found out about the attack early this morning, I came right away." His mouth hung open, his eyes wide. "Riyo, I'm so sorry, they brought you here late last night… I was out and didn't get the message until this morning…"

Out. There was only one thing that meant coming from Kenzo. He was likely passed out cold when she was brought to the hospital. She laughed, "Kenzo, you shouldn't be so concerned. I'm your boss. You're allowed to go out and have your own life and not worry about attending to my needs." She squinted at him, noticing some discoloration under his eyes. "Are you bruised?"

He ran his fingers over the bridge of his nose like he was trying to hide the evidence, "Er… don't worry about that. It's nothing. You're the one we need to be worried about." He moved into a seat in front of a large window that was lined with items she hadn't noticed before. Flower arrangements, baskets of food, plush toys… they were packed into the space, spilling over onto the floor. Kenzo shrugged, "Those are from your fans." He pointed to a particularly gorgeous arrangement of flowers sitting on the stand next to her bed. "But those ones are from my mother."

She never imagined she could be so fond of an employee's family, but Kenzo's mother was easily one of the most thoughtful people she'd ever met. "I should have guessed that. You'll thank her for me?"

He nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Very sore. My shoulder…"

"They said it was in pretty bad condition, it sounds like the blast nearly destroyed the joint. You have the best doctors working on it though. They're optimistic about your recovery, from the little they've told me."

"Do you know what happened?"

He inhaled deeply, leaning back in his seat. "I only know what I've been able to pick up from conversations. The whole matter is still being kept quiet. You and the Admiral were attacked by a few Rebels just outside your home."

Her lungs grew tight as she tried to process what she told him. A vague memory floated in her mind — Garren. His voice. It made absolutely no sense.

"I… I'm sorry. What? How do they know the attackers were Rebels?"

"Two of them had records, they've been wanted by the Empire for some time. I suppose this confirms the Admiral's suspicions. We definitely have some sort of Rebel presence here."

She struggled to inhale. "Um…"

"Are you okay? Should I call a nurse?" His eyebrows pinched together and he started to stand for the door.

"No, no, I'm alright." She forced a deep, even breath. Another memory slowly floated back to her — Thrawn, falling to the ground after being struck by a bast. "The Admiral. Is he…"

"He's fine, so I'm told. I haven't seen him. The medics aboard his ship have been taking care of him."

She touched her injured shoulder gently, trying to recall where the shot had landed on him. "Do you know anything about his condition? I think I remember him getting shot."

"Commander Vanto came by a few hours ago and I spoke to him for a little bit. He said you were in much worse condition than the Admiral. He was at least well enough to notify Eli right after the incident. Eli actually made it to the scene shortly after Pantoran authorities responded."

"Do you think you could send word to either he or his assistant? I'd like to see him whenever he's well enough."

He gave a cocky smile. "Has a request like that ever been a problem for me before? I'm certain I can get word to Commander Vanto quickly."

"Thank you. Please do." She paused, her mind wandering to a dark question. "What of the attackers?"

His expression turned dark. "There were three of them. Two were killed during the attack. I've been told one lived, but…" he winced a little, "from the sound of it the Admiral left him in pretty bad condition."

* * *

The day dragged on at the hospital, almost unbearably slow after Kenzo left. She hoped to attempt some work on her datapad with her good arm to help pass the time, but Kenzo insisted she needed to rest rather than work and refused to leave it with her. Luckily the painkillers made her sleepy, so she was able to spend a good deal of time napping between visits from various doctors. Every physician asked her questions and ran more tests, and they all assured her she would recover well if she allowed herself the time to heal. A neural specialist spent several minutes poking her right hand in various places and asking her if she felt anything, but she couldn't. He reassured her she would likely regain some feeling over time, but it was an unsettling out-of-body experience to watch him prod her fingers and not feel a thing.

The sky grew dark outside her window, and the activity in the hallway gradually died down. By the time the stars were out, she hadn't seen another person in hours. Even the hallway lights were dimmed.

Careful not to use her injured shoulder, she rose from the hospital bed and walked around the room. Standing upright and moving around actually brought some relief. She opened the door and made her way out to the hallway. Only a few overhead lights were left on, giving a dim glow that made the dark hallway safe enough for walking. She walked down a long corridor of empty patient rooms until she reached a reception area, where a night worker was stationed.

"I thought I heard a door back there," he said.

"Er… yes. Is it okay if I walk around for a little bit?" She felt like a child caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

His smile reassured her she wasn't going to get into trouble. "Yes, you should be fine, just don't push yourself too hard. Make sure you stay on this floor. If you need anything just shout, you and I are the only ones awake on this floor."

"Thank you." It wasn't the most interesting place to walk around, but it was better than staying in her room. She wandered up and down a few hallways. The silence nearly made her hair stand on end at times.

The rooms were all dark, some with blinds drawn over them, others left open. They were all empty until she reached the last room at the end of one of the hallways. The room was dark, but the blinds were open so she could barely see the person lying in the bed.

She froze when she recognized him — it was Garren. How the Pantoran authorities managed to keep him here, in one of their own hospitals, was beyond her. No doubt they felt entitled to overseeing his recovery because he was one of their own, but the Imperials wouldn't have cared much for that reasoning.

Kenzo mentioned Thrawn left the man in bad condition, but as her eyes adjusted to the low light she was surprised by the extent of his injuries. His face was severely bruised, with bandages wound around a cranial injury. Her first instinct was to step back — to go away and not confront this. But refusing to look at the aftermath would be denying the reality they all took part in. She moved closer to the window.

What in the name of the Force was Garren thinking when he attacked her? They were supposed to be allies.

She leaned closer to the glass, and her breath caught in her throat. The white sheets of his bed were soaking, stained red with blood. She froze with horror, unable to react for a moment. Reality crashed down upon her and she shoved the door open with her good arm and rushed in to help him. She tore back the sheets to find where the bleeding was coming from and was overcome with a wave of nausea.

His wrists had been restrained to keep him from fleeing, but he had managed to free one arm. In what only could have been an act of complete desperation, he'd broken a sharp chunk from the plastic frame of the bed and used it to slice open his own wrists.

She leaned heavily against the bed and forced herself to breathe deeply enough to shout for help. While she wasn't versed in first aid, she knew enough to wrap her hand around his wrist in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Another wave passed over her, even stronger than before. He was cold. The wound itself barely bled. She shifted her hand, pressing the heel of her palm into his wrist, searching for any sign of a pulse. All she found was one beat so faint she may have imagined it.

It was too late. She looked up at his face. His eyes were still open, just barely. Could he still see anything? Did he know she was there?

She reached up to a small patch of unbruised skin on his cheekbone and ran her fingers over it. "I'm sorry…" Tears rolled down her face. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." However poor his choices may have been, it was a horrifying end for anyone to face, particularly alone. She hoped a piece of him was still hanging on, just enough to know someone else was there with him.

It was such a strange thing to notice, but the gold hairpin she drove into his side was lying on the table next to his bed, cleaned after the doctors removed it from him. She slid it into her pocket, because leaving it felt like trying to deny her own involvement in this mess. She remained standing next to him, sobbing and wishing circumstances could have been different for them all. She wasn't sure how long she was there, but eventually, a hand on her shoulder attempted to draw her away.

"Riyo…" Thrawn's voice was gentle, layered with a soothing hum. She almost didn't recognize it. He applied a gentle pressure to her, guiding her away from Garren, away from the tragic scene. Everything echoed around her, dull and distorted as he walked her back to her room. The click of the door to her room latching shut was like a cue; her windpipe shrunk to the size of a pinhole. She leaned against her bed, sobbing and gasping for air.

He stood with her silently, a hand on her arm as if to help hold her up. It was a curiously gentle gesture coming from him of all people — from someone who caused this travesty.

But was she really any different from him? She had her hand in this mess as well.

"Riyo," he finally spoke again, in that beautiful, hypnotic tone. "You're safe. Control your breathing. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Yes, she was okay. So was he. And there was a bloodied corpse down the hallway they traded for that privilege.

She tried to push his hand away from her arm, to keep him from touching her, but he took her hand into his own, tenderly pushing it down to steady her. "Try to stay calm. You need to wash your hands, you have blood on them."

Something about the comment, about his inexcusably tranquil tone, made her snap. "I have blood on my hands? So do you." She shoved him away, finally gathering herself enough to look up at him, to his face. A deep blue bruise ran around the outer corner of one of his eyes, and his lower lip was split but appeared to have been treated with healing ointment. She stepped back, "You know why he did that to himself. You're no fool, you know what the Empire does to the Rebels it catches. He had the choice to die on his own terms or in the cruel hands of the Empire. _You_ forced him to make such a decision."

His head tilted slightly. "You mourn his death even though he nearly killed you?"

"Nobody…" She motioned wildly to the door, "Nobody deserves to be pushed to that sort of an end. He should have spent the rest of his life rotting in a jail cell, not… not dying alone and frightened in a hospital bed."

He caught her frantic hand, wrapping it in his own and pushing it down again. His gaze rested on her quietly before he drew a chair over, sitting on it before her. She had no idea what the gesture was supposed to mean, but it certainly wasn't making her feel any better about the whole situation.

Her voice shook as she spoke. "I cannot understand why you see fit to serve this monstrous government. They would take advantage of your kind just as they have with the Talz, and you know that. And yet you choose to support their cause. You know — you _must_ know — of their heinous transgressions against people all over the galaxy, against their own people, whom they have sworn to protect."

He didn't speak right away, as though he wanted to be sure she was done before replying. He inhaled deeply. "Riyo… The people in Imperial dominated regions of the galaxy are very lucky that they are able to claim the Empire is the largest threat they face. Deep in the Unknown Regions, my people face evils much more treacherous, ones that exist with the sole intent of destroying."

"Then what are you doing here? Why would you choose to serve the Empire rather than fight alongside your own people?"

"If that option were available to me, I certainly would. However, it is not. So I am here, with the Empire, preparing to fight that evil through other means."

"What the hell does that even mean? It's not an option for you? Like you were forced to do this? You're just denying responsibility…"

"I am not welcome on my homeworld any longer," he cut her insult short, his stone still calm. "As I said, if it were an option, I would still be with them."

She tried to shake the fog that seemed to shroud her mind. "What?"

He looked at her quietly for a moment. "Exile was one of the first words then Cadet Vanto taught me."

The information left her confused, and slightly nauseated. Or was it the pain medication?

He continued, unaffected by her reaction. "I hold no personal ill will against these Rebels. But when they choose to behave," he motioned to her, to her shoulder, "in such a reckless manner that endangers innocent civilians, it would be wrong of me to do nothing."

"But when the Empire does the same thing? What then? When they enslave entire populations, deplete planets of their natural resources and leave the people to die, that's all fine in your eyes?"

There was another long pause, and he pressed his fingertips together, looking out to the hallway as though he needed to make sure they were alone. "The Empire undoubtedly has committed ethical transgressions I cannot reconcile. With that being said, look at the behavior of these Rebels. I have spent years tracking down a great many of them. They wage war against us on civilian grounds so innocent casualties cannot be avoided. They are reckless and unorganized and have little regard for combat ethics. You are a smart woman Riyo. You could not convince me you do not see the danger of allowing them to have their way. I can't even fathom how they might cobble together a fully functional government worthy of serving and protecting the people of the galaxy. When the evils my people face reach this section of the galaxy - and they will, faster than any of you know - they must be met with strength, or all will be lost."

She wanted so terribly to snap back at him, but couldn't bring herself to. Everything he said made too much sense. The Rebels, as he saw them, were unfit to run a government.

And then there was the matter of his exile… If he chose to cope with it by placing himself within the Empire, doing this all to protect his people from a distance, whatever they faced must have been truly frightening.

The silence between them lasted for some time. Finally, he stood and began to look through a few drawers. "They must have left a clean change of clothing for you. You should go bathe."

She didn't want to look down at her hand or hospital robe — she was certain they were covered.

He located a freshly wrapped robe and set it near the sink in the washroom, then returned to her. He looked at her for a moment. "I am sorry you were involved in this. If you need anything at all, please let me know what I can do."

He left her alone in her room with the quiet, sterile beep of the hospital machines, wondering what his near treasonous confession might have meant. Was it a concession of trust, the thing she'd been after this whole time?

An unrecognizable tension clawed at her chest, so viciously she feared it might break free.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thinking back over the time following the attack, I constantly wonder how many mistakes I made. The answer, really, depends on how exactly you choose to define what a mistake is. There were plenty of things I did wrong, but I found a way to either correct the error before it became disastrous or I found a way to make the consequences work in my favor._

 _And then, I also wonder: how many mistakes did my counterpart make? And even better, how many would he actually admit he made?_

* * *

Kenzo sucked in a sharp breath of air in hesitation before he spoke, "This isn't something you need to worry about now, but you should know PHN News has been harassing me for an interview with you about the incident."

Riyo, still stuck in the hospital, spent the majority of the past few days sleeping, seeing doctors, and responding to an inbox full of concerned well-wishers and had barely had any chance to see how the event was playing in the news. Kenzo had been her primary source of information during his daily visits, but even he had been cautious to offer her too much information. She suspected he was hiding a good deal of work from her in order to keep her focused on recovering.

"I suppose they will just have to wait," she said. "It's an open case, under investigation by both Pantoran and Imperial officials. I couldn't talk about it even if I wanted to."

"That's what I told them, but you know how they can be. Don't be surprised if the reporter somehow finds a way in here to harass you for information… Rana Bashir is the journalist in charge of the story, you know how pushy she can be."

"Well, she is very good at her job."

He stretched against the back of his chair, rubbing his temples, "True, but she's exhausting to keep up with at times. She will not take no for an answer."

"I haven't been monitoring the news. Is this getting much coverage?"

His eyebrows rose enough to answer before he spoke. "Well… naturally, a Senator nearly being assassinated by a group of Rebels is pretty big news, at least here on Pantora. I haven't seen anything about it in off-planet sources, other than a few brief mentions. Nobody involved is talking to the press about it, so everything they're saying is speculation so far. But…" he winced, "I was trying to avoid telling you about this because you really need to be focused on healing, but it's probably best you know before it spirals out of control. People are starting to wonder what an Imperial Admiral was doing at the home of our Senator so late in the evening. It doesn't look good, not without reasonable justification."

She deflated a little. As if her recovery and dealing with questions about the attack wouldn't be enough of a disturbance to her work, now she had this mess to deal with. "I suppose that's a logical question for them to ask."

"I've been pulling strings to keep it out of any major news sources for a while, promising them you'd personally give a statement as soon as you're able, but that will only work for so long. I don't know how to spin this one, Riyo. It looks bad. If you tell them it wasn't personal, it looks like you're having late night secret meetings with Imperials, conspiring with the Empire, losing sight of Pantoran values… But telling them the whole thing was personal is just as bad. The general populace is not going to be happy with their Senator being romantically linked to an Imperial officer. It's a huge conflict of interest."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, you're right. I'll think of something. Thank you, Kenzo, I think I can handle this issue on my own."

"Looks like you have company…" Kenzo's attention turned to the window facing the hallway. The Admiral and his assistant were walking down the hallway, heading for her door. He glanced to Riyo, "Do you want to see him?"

"Yes, if he came here to see me in person it must be something fairly important."

Kenzo opened the door and allowed him in, throwing Riyo a severe look behind the Admiral's back. He was worried, naturally, that Thrawn's presence here might aggravate the situation he'd just mentioned.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Thrawn said politely. "I hoped to speak with you privately for a few moments, Senator."

"Not at all. Kenzo, would you mind leaving us for a moment?"

Kenzo frowned, but stepped out quickly, leaving the two of them to the privacy of her room.

He took a seat without asking, while she sat on the bed. "How are you?" His voice was just as gentle and soothing as it was in their last encounter.

"I'm doing well. The recovery is going very slow, but I'm making some progress."

He looked at her for a long, quiet moment. She was lying, and he could tell.

She sighed, "I have a little movement in my arm. Not as much as I would have hoped for, but the doctors say I should be happy with the progress so far."

"Are you sleeping well?"

"I can't not sleep. They have me on so much pain medication it seems all I'm capable of."

He squinted. "You didn't answer my question."

She frowned a little. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, but maybe he would understand. Maybe this was one of the few things she could benefit from being completely honest with him about. "You must be accustomed these intense… distressing experiences, given your career. I don't know how I can sleep half the day and not feel rested." She searched his face for any sort of reaction. "Does it get easier?"

"It does, with time." He looked at her for a quiet moment. "It is quite unfortunate that these individuals saw fit to target you, who has so openly supported many ideals they claim to uphold. Perhaps this is a sign of their true motives."

Yes, it was a wildly hypocritical move on their behalf. Insulting, more than anything. But she kept her expression tight. "My memory of exactly what happened is still very unclear, but I thought they were after you."

"I was their primary target, but they obviously intended to harm you as well. If they'd only been interested in me there are several other ways they could have found to reach me. Targeting me while I was with you was a very deliberate and telling decision on their part."

She looked away from his gaze, because something about it was a little too intense, like he might be looking right through her. "If you think they intend to destroy the Empire and they dislike politicians like me, what do you think their real intent is?"

"Chaos," he said simply. "Whether it is the product of or incompetence or what is truly an anarchistic belief system is more or less irrelevant. It will be the ultimate outcome if they are not stopped. Anyone who chooses to target a politician with ideals such as your own certainly does not have the best interests of the people of the Empire at heart."

"Yes… well… I suppose there is truth to that."

Thrawn's expression turned reflective, his tone softening once more. "I do wish I could have reached your assailant slightly sooner, so you were at least spared this pain."

"That's wrong," The words slipped out before she had much of a chance to think about it. Was he actually feeling _guilty_ for the outcome of that evening? "No, look… You say they were targeting both of us… this probably would have happened even if you weren't present. If anything I owe you thanks because I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you." She paused. "And I also owe you a very large apology for my behavior the last time we spoke…"

He shook his head, cutting her short. "I am used to the behavior of people who have been through traumatic experiences, and you had two such experiences right in a row. You were overwhelmed and upset. I interpreted your reaction as a sign of your compassion for others. Nothing was taken personally."

"You're being a little over generous, I think, but thank you for understanding. I haven't even asked you how your own recovery has been going."

"My injuries were quite minor compared to yours. You have no need to worry. My medical crew saw to everything the night of the incident."

"You shouldn't be quite so dismissive; if I remember correctly you were shot."

His eyes narrowed just slightly. "You recall that?"

"Somewhat… I remember the shot going off, and you falling. Where were you hit?"

His answer was just slightly delayed. "It hit my upper chest, near my shoulder. It was at such an angle that the damage wasn't nearly as severe as it could have been."

She could very nearly remember as he spoke of it. The way he'd jerked, standing frozen for just a moment, his back to her, before collapsing. Even more clearly, the sinking sensations of fear and dread, the panic slowly setting in. And looking at his collapsed form, certain she'd just seen his life taken.

But the actual shot itself had been blocked from her view.

And then… there was their prior meeting. It hadn't been very long at all after the attack. Which side had the shot hit? He'd guided her down the hallway, his hand on her back… He'd pushed her hands down several times, and dug through a few drawers… and never once did he show any sign of injury, not even the slightest wince of pain or favoritism of one side.

Her lungs squeezed too tightly for any breath. This entire conversation… _and_ their prior conversation… it was all a massive mistake. Every comment, every kind word from him, had just been an attempt to manipulate her into trusting him while she was weak and medicated and…

And it all meant the worst possible thing: he was already onto her. He already suspected her so strongly not even getting shot by a Rebel eased his suspicions.

"Riyo?"

Thrawn was standing before her, his hand on her good should and a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? Should I alert your doctor?"

"I…" How long had she been sitting with the terrible thoughts buzzing through her mind? She shook it off and inhaled deeply, "No, no I'm okay. Thank you."

He didn't appear convinced. "You're certain?"

"Yes, I'm alright. I just…" she wasn't quite sure how to finish the sentence. _Realized I've been a complete fool._

He frowned deeply, "Perhaps it was unwise of me to give details that might stir more memories."

He must have thought she'd just spaced out over a traumatic memory… or did he? Was that a lie as well? Nothing felt quite sure. She quickly combed back through her memories of their prior conversation, trying to remember exactly how much information she'd given him. Nothing too detrimental came to mind, in fact, he'd given her more information than she'd given him. He was still in the trust-building phase of his game.

 _That_ was something she might be able to use. She just needed to keep letting him think he was winning.

She inhaled a few more deep, even breaths, forcing her expression to something mild. "I'm okay. Really. I'm sorry about that."

"There is no need for you to be."

She hesitated, shifting a little on the edge of the bed to show she might be uncomfortable with the coming conversation. "Ad- Thrawn. Would you mind if I ask you a rather personal question?"

He looked at her unblinkingly, giving a stiff nod.

"Last we spoke… you mentioned something that I don't think I fully understood at the time because of my mental state. You said that your own people had exiled you?"

"That is correct."

"I'm sure it isn't an easy thing to speak of, I hope you didn't feel compelled to tell me out of guilt or pity or anything like that…"

"I would not have told you unless I wanted to."

Yes, and he only would have wanted to if it suited his needs, such as garnering empathy from someone who he believed would be easily manipulated by emotional appeals.

She pushed her loose hair back behind her ear. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

"They have a strict policy against preemptive strikes."  
Banished for being too aggressive. It made sense, then, that he found a good home with the Empire. Of course, that was all under the assumption that his claim was true. But information didn't always have to be true to be useful.

He took her silence as an opportunity to elaborate. "If you could foresee an initial attack that would result in significant lives lost among your people, would you not do anything within your power to stop it?"  
She couldn't help but think of her own involvement with the Rebels. It wasn't all that different. "Yes, I suppose I can understand that." Maybe. Depending on the circumstances. But now wasn't the time to debate, it was the time to play into his narrative. She smiled, "I don't know why I keep finding myself surprised that you're actually very reasonable when I take the time to listen to what you have to say."

He returned a small, teasing smile she recalled from their evening out. "You're a politician, rationality isn't something you need to concern yourself with."

She actually laughed, for the first time since the attack. His disdain for politicians was mildly entertaining. "I appreciate you coming to see me again, Thrawn. And I enjoyed our evening together, at least prior to the attack."

"It was a very unfortunate end to an otherwise enjoyable night," he bowed his head in agreement. "I need to return to the Chimaera, but I did have another reason for coming here. As I'm sure you know, the Navy is conducting a routine investigation into the incident. They will be sending an official by soon to question you about what you remember."

"Oh. I'm afraid I won't have much for them..."

"You shouldn't concern yourself with it. It is merely a routine investigation, they are simply gathering a file of what everyone knows. I believe they already have a recording from the building's security cameras. Between that and my own recount, and whatever you are able to remember, I don't think there will be any issues."

Nobody had bothered to tell her there was a recording of the incident. "Thank you for the warning. I'll be sure to tell them whatever I can recall." She paused, not quite ready for him to leave yet. She needed to make sure he felt he'd won, so he'd come back for more of these conversations. "I don't want to be too presumptuous, but if you find yourself with any small amount of spare time, I would be happy if you stopped by again."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

She shrugged, "They have me trapped here indefinitely and I'm afraid I might lose my mind. I'd be happy to discuss art or… or anything. If you have the time."

"Then I will be sure to return soon, Senator."

And then… one more thing, before he left. Just for her, to prove she was right. She slid off the edge of the bed and stood, and placed her hand on his chest opposite his rank plaque, "Is this the side…"

The rest of the words caught in her throat. It _was_ the side; she could feel the edge of a bacta patch beneath the fabric of his uniform.

The weight of the silence between them could have crushed her. She couldn't even bear the thought of looking up at his face; there was no doubt in her mind he was giving that awkward stare again. His chest had stopped moving beneath her hand.

She stepped back quickly, bumping into the edge of the bed, "Er… I… I'm sorry…"

When she finally gathered the courage to look at his face, he just looked perplexed.

Finally, he spoke, "It was good to see you in brighter spirits, Senator. I wish you luck with the rest of your recovery."

She watched him leave, trying to come to grips with what had just happened. So the wound was real. Was anything else?

Eli tried to act like he was too busy on his datapad to notice Kenzo come out of the Senator's hospital room. They'd hardly talked since the night of the shooting, and while Kenzo hadn't given any hints that he remembered what happened between them that night, Eli had still tried to avoid him so the subject couldn't be brought up.

"Eli?"

He cringed.

Kenzo didn't give any indication he'd noticed Eli's attempt at evasion - rather, he looked concerned. "Can we talk?" He nodded to an empty patient room to the side.

"Er… yeah." He followed him in but left the door half open so they didn't have too much privacy.

Kenzo looked tired, maybe a little nervous. Or maybe he wasn't tired. The dark coloring under his eyes could have been a remnant of the pilot who'd punched him.

Another thing that inspired Eli's optimism that he couldn't remember the evening: Kenzo hadn't reported the attack. The pilot couldn't have known of Kenzo's close affiliation to a Galactic Senator, but if he had been aware he certainly wouldn't have tried to start a fight. Under a typical officer's command, the pilot would be at risk of losing his job and facing jail time. Under Thrawn's command, especially given the context of the fight, he most certainly would never see the inside of a Star Destroyer again.

It did make him a little sad for Kenzo. He must have woken up the next morning with no idea where the bruise came from.

"I know you probably can't disclose much, but do you have any more information? Was this just a few rogue Rebels or is there an actual presence here?"

Eli hadn't realized how close he was to the Senator, but he was clearly having trouble coping. "I'm sorry, I really can't give you any information."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Right. I know that. I'm sorry for asking. It's just a lot to handle right now. She's stubborn; she insists she doesn't need a security detail, but I think it might be smart for her to have one."

"That would be a good idea, just to be safe," he offered gently. "I can assure you we're taking care of the situation as fast as possible."

"Thank you. Are you doing okay? You seemed tense when I contacted you with Riyo's request to meet with the Admiral right after the incident."

He stepped back, putting more distance between them before the conversation could carry on too far. "Yes. Yeah, I'm fine."

Kenzo looked at him, his lips twisting to a lopsided grin. "You're acting so strange. Don't worry about it, we only made out."

Kriiiiff… he _did_ remember. He glanced to the hallway to see if anyone was near and slid the door fully closed. "We didn't make out, it only happened once and I really, really need you to not say anything about it…"

Kenzo rolled his eyes. "You're being paranoid. I could get into just as much trouble as you. I'm not going to say anything."

Eli let out a relieved breath, releasing a little of the tension in his shoulders. "Good. Thank you."

"You didn't do anything wrong, I was the one who instigated. It was nothing more than a stupid, impulsive, drunken move. I don't even like you. Honestly, I still think you're an asshole."

"Right. And I think you're a snobbish city boy. So can we both just… pretend it never happened? Please?"

Kenzo crossed his arms. "Yes, you're definitely an asshole. I would _prefer_ if we forgot about it."

"You remember the whole evening? The pilot?" Eli asked.

"Ah, you mean the fine soldier who hit me? Yes, of course I remember him." He touched his nose, "How could I forget?"

"You haven't reported it." Eli shook his head. "And neither has the bartender."

Kenzo looked at him for a long moment, squinting. "Why would I do that?"

"He'd lose his job just for assaulting a civilian, but a Senator's aid? That's serious business. He was completely out of line, he deserves repercussions for what he did."

Kenzo sniffed. "He undoubtedly does, but what good would it do me to say something? The only thing I want is you people gone from my home, from my life. If I report that heathen then I just draw more of you people's attention to Pantora, and I have to deal with interacting with more naval officials. The bartender probably hasn't said a word because she's thinking the same thing. We don't need you people any more involved in our lives." He shook his head. "Further, the last thing I need is an investigator digging into that evening and knowing we left the bar together. If you don't recall, I threw myself on you right out in the open, on the street. Someone probably saw. I'm not about to risk my reputation just to get revenge." He crossed his arms, straightening up. "But you'd already figured that out, didn't you? You could have reported it days ago."

"It really isn't my business to report unless you wanted to. If you decided to report it I would obviously support your claim, but it had nothing to do with me."

He huffed a laugh. "It's none of your business? Is that what you tell yourself?"

"It was entirely between you and the pilot, you were the one affected by it. It's your call."

"You don't think you have any sort of obligation in the bigger picture? To do what you can to help better the reputation of the Navy among Imperial citizens? To make sure people with hateful ideologies aren't allowed to continue spreading their vitriol throughout the organization - throughout the very ship you work on?"

Eli couldn't think of any response.

Kenzo just shook his head, "Look, I'm happy you haven't said anything and I would prefer you didn't, but claiming it's "none of your business" is just a way of convincing yourself you don't have to do anything. You haven't reported the pilot because your life is easier if you don't report him. It's ultimately selfish. And that's fine - like I said, I prefer it unreported too, for similarly selfish reasons. Just don't lie to yourself about the reasoning."

There was almost too much truth in it, so much that Eli really didn't want to think about it. He glanced to the hallway and saw Thrawn exiting the Senator's room.

"I need to go."

Kenzo gave what sounded like a disappointed sigh, "Yep."

Eli left quickly. The entire conversation had turned into what felt like one massive guilt trip, and he was happy to be away from it. He joined Thrawn's side and waited to speak until they were secluded in the elevator. "Did your conversation go well?"

A familiar devious smile flashed onto his face, "Yes, it did. You were speaking with her assistant?"

"He's concerned with getting her a security detail."

Thrawn nodded slowly. "That would be a wise idea."

"I told him so."

As the elevator drew to a halt at floor level, he noticed Thrawn absentmindedly rubbing just below his collarbone.

"You okay?"

He blinked a few times and dropped his hand. "Yes. I believe everything is proceeding favorably now."

Riyo was sure her doctors wouldn't approve of her watching the recording of the incident for fear it might trigger some a traumatic reaction, and Kenzo would likely agree with them, but curiosity consumed her once she knew it existed. Pieces of her memory had returned, but she still didn't have a full picture of what happened that evening. Maybe watching the recording would help clear the fog obscuring her memories.

She went about obtaining a copy through less proper means, so nobody was aware she had it. Late into the night, after the hospital went quiet, and brought up the recording on her datapad.

A loud knock nearly made her jump out of her seat. She flicked it off quickly and looked to see who was knocking at this time of night. Nobody stood in the hall.

Another knock.

It took her far too long to realize it came from the window. Ardella and Mae were both outside, clinging to the side of the building with magnetic climbers. She opened the window quickly and let them in before they were noticed by any security personnel.

Once she had a few days to gather herself and start her recovery, she made a point to contact Ardella. She simply sent the woman a short message saying she needed to speak with her urgently and that she was in the hospital. Usually, she would have apologized for the inconvenient meeting location, but there was really no room left in her to pity any struggle they had to go through.

Ardella climbed in and held her hands up before Riyo spoke, "We've gathered what we could from the news that's been running…"

She stood confidently, the weight of her right arm an awkward reminder of everything that happened. "Have you now? Well, you should know they're missing a great many details. Let me tell them to you…"

"Riyo…"

"No." She tried to keep her voice cool and even, but it didn't work. "No, you will listen to me and you will _not_ interrupt. I had two very simple rules for you, Ardella. Keep me informed, and no attacks on Pantoran land. So you can imagine my surprise when I was attacked right outside of my own home by your second in command. Not only that — you explicitly stated I could trust him. Initially, I had this wild idea he and his two lackeys were simply after Thrawn and using me as a tool to manipulate the situation. You cannot fathom how much that thought infuriated me, that you would lay in motion a plan requiring me to play the part of the damsel in distress and you wouldn't even bother to tell me you expected me to play the part. If only that had really been the case."

Ardella shook her head, opening her mouth to reply, but Riyo charged ahead, seething. "I don't know what made me think that was an actual possibility. It was a crazy assumption, looking back on it. The man had a kriffing blaster pressed to my skull and I really thought it might just be an act. No, it took him actually saying his intentions aloud for me to realize he really intended on planting a shot straight into my skull. He nearly did it too." She pulled the gold hairpin from her pocket and flung it at the Rebel. "I had to stab the man with that in order to get away from him and even then he shot me."

Ardella's jaw clamped shut, but Mae picked the pin up from the floor.

"So explain to me, please, what the hell actually happened because I have a hard time believing you want to kill me after everything I've done for you."

Ardella shook her head. "Garren overheard our conversation about your meeting with the Admiral and acted on his own accord. I knew nothing of it, I would never have approved of it. Mae didn't even know about it."

"So you lost control. Of your second in command."

"Riyo, you know I would never okay a plan like this. You've been our biggest ally for years. We couldn't afford to lose you."

"You can't afford to lose me? Well, that's good to hear. Get control of your people, Ardella. If you or any of your people so much as put a toe out of line you can consider our alliance void."

The woman's posture relaxed a little. "Thank you… I understand you're upset, but you can rest assured…"

"Do _not_ tell about how you understand, or how thankful you are. I don't care to hear it. Go do your job." She eyed Mae, "And _she_ is not to be privy to any of our conversations ever again, much less to be anywhere near me. Frankly, I'm shocked you thought it wise to bring her along tonight."

Mae's mouth dropped open, "Senator, be reasonable, I really had no idea…"

"Do you actually expect me to believe that?" Riyo snapped. "Either you knew and you think I'm enough of a fool to believe you didn't know, or you're an oblivious moron who didn't realize what he was planning right under your nose. In either case, you no longer have any place in this mission."

Mae looked as if she'd bitten into something bitter, but Ardella put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from responding. She nodded to Riyo. "Your requests are understood, Senator. We will make this up to you."

"I should hope so."

Ardella made her way to the window, but Mae didn't move. "Where is Garren? The news reports say the authorities have him — is that the Pantorans or the Imperials?"

Maybe she shouldn't have accepted this meeting in person. She crossed her arms the best she could with her injury, looking away from both them. She'd tried to wipe the image of Garren from her mind for days. Her efforts thus far were unsuccessful, and this wasn't helping. "He was injured severely during the attack and taken into custody by the Pantorans for medical treatment, after which he was to be transferred to Imperial care." She shook her head, forcing herself to hold back tears. "He slit his wrists at the hospital before the Imperials could get to him."

A heavy silence blanketed the room. Mae finally broke it. "Are you sure it wasn't…"

"I was the one who found him. Yes, I'm certain it was self-inflicted." She paused, tears starting to well up again. Her emotional instability since finding him was unnerving; she'd never felt less in control of herself. "I would have helped him but I was too late."


	11. Chapter 11

_Working in politics for so long has given me a certain set of skills. While I can't claim to be proud of all those skills, they do, unfortunately, become extremely useful at times._

* * *

Kenzo went through the last of her "get well" gifts, noting who they came from before tossing them in the trash. She didn't mean to be wasteful, but the pile had grown to the point it spilled over into a second room and the vases of flowers were going to wilt soon.

"I stopped by your home earlier today to make sure everything was in line for you to return. It sounds like they'll release you by the end of the week."

Yet another unnecessarily generous gesture from her assistant. "Thank you, Kenzo."

"No problem. If there's anything you need when you get home, you'll let me know, right?" He glanced up at her, frowning like a disapproving mother. "You're so set on being independent in everything, but you're still recovering. Really, if you need help just let me know."

"Okay, if I decide to rearrange the furniture, I promise I will reach out to you."

"Good. I'm serious. I know you, Riyo. You'll probably try to move the couch on your own and mess up your arm."

For some reason, the sentiment nearly moved her to tears. "Thank you, Kenzo. Really. Everyone's been treating me like I've turned into glass after this incident, both physically and emotionally. You're the only person who has actually offered help in a way I really need."

"You mean me and your doctors," he corrected her. "Stop ignoring their advice to slow down, they're trying to help you make a full recovery."

She laughed, "I don't know that I could handle injuries or politics without you."

"Well, you do all the hard work when it comes to politics."

"That's not true at all. You've had a direct hand in every major piece of legislation I've pushed through the Senate in the past years. A few were even originally drafted by you. Even more important than that, everyone needs someone they can trust to watch out for them, especially in the business of politics. I owe a great deal of my continued success to you." She couldn't even imagine what the past weeks would have been like without him, much less the past few years.

He smiled at the compliment as he returned to documenting the gifts. Someday he would leave his position to pursue his own career in politics, and he would be fantastic at it. In terms of experience, he'd been ready for that transition for a few years. But for some reason he chose to continue standing by her. And she was okay with that, however greedy it might be of her. She really did depend on him heavily, and his absence from her office would be an extremely difficult, painful change. Truly good help was so difficult to find, and when you finally did find someone good enough to understand your vision it was only natural to rely heavily on them.

The revelation slowly crept over her, the thing she'd overlooked this entire time. She needed to find a way to throw the Admiral off balance. Maybe the best way to do that was to remove his support.

"I might be romanticizing politics more than I should," she added offhandedly. "Any leadership position requires good help. The Admiral, for instance, and his assistant… What was his name again?"

Kenzo paused with a vase of flowers in his hands, raising an eyebrow. "You mean Commander Vanto?"

"Yes, the Admiral seems to be fairly reliant on his aid."

Kenzo looked at her strangely. "He does," he quickly turned back to sorting through the items.

"You always have a pretty good read on people, what do you think of him?"

He froze again. "Who? What?"

He must not have been paying attention to their conversation. No doubt he had plenty on his mind that he was handling while she was hospitalized; a casual conversation about the Admiral's assistant was probably the last thing he wanted to think about, especially after he'd been so blatantly rude toward Kenzo.

"Vanto. You've talked with him quite a bit, haven't you?"

His face drew a blank. "Er…"

She smiled, "Kenzo, I think I might need to let you take a vacation after I'm out of the hospital. I'm just wondering if Vanto could potentially be an easier source of information for us than the Admiral has been. He seems unusual for an Imperial officer. He's served under Admiral Thrawn his entire career, so he must be slightly different. More open-minded."

"Oh." His shoulders relaxed. "I mean, no we really haven't talked much… Strictly about work-related issues… but, yes. He does seem to have a different ideology than one would expect of someone in his position."

From the little she'd interacted with Vanto, he actually reminded her more of a Rebel than an Imperial. He was brassy and had little respect for authority. She was willing to bet that while he'd seen some of the Empire's wrongdoings already, he hadn't yet seen the full extent. If she could manage to push him far enough, to shatter his faith in the Empire, he stood a chance of not just being a great informant, but potentially a fantastic addition to the Rebel group. An entire career of direct training with the Admiral would have made him highly competent. Maybe she could even use him to push Ardella out. Granted, working with someone with his attitude would be something of a challenge, but she'd take a surly leader over an incompetent one any day.

"Do you think there's a possibility he might be a good resource for us?" She asked.

He ran his hand through his hair, still looking like he was trying to gather his thoughts. "I don't know. He's very loyal to the Admiral."

"But is he loyal to the _Empire_? Those two things aren't mutually exclusive."

He hesitated, "Honestly, Riyo, I don't know."

 _That_ was exactly what she needed. A hair of doubt, the possibility that he could potentially be swayed. The only problem with exerting any influence over him was that the Admiral would instantly notice any of her attempts because they worked so closely. So the key to her plan's success would lie in separating the two of them.

After Kenzo left, she replayed the recording of the incident in the privacy of her hospital room. It was like a dream, vaguely familiar but still foreign. She watched herself, wondering if she would ever clearly recall the things she could see herself experiencing.

The camera was angled in a manner that captured her and Garren, and a man at the far side of the bridge. The third assailant couldn't be seen. The man at the far end fired a shot and glass shattered onto the ground. Thrawn used the opportunity to take out the shooter, right as the third unseen assailant charged into view.

A funny thing about that assailant — with the way the camera was angled, his weapon couldn't be seen. In fact, it looked like he could have simply been an innocent caught in the crossfire, attempting to run from the conflict. He wore civilian clothing and had no discernible attributes that might lead to the conclusion he was a Rebel. He was a human native of Pantora and the only one of the three who had no prior record of Rebel involvement. His wife and children lived in the city, not far from her apartment.

Thrawn shot at him, clipping his shoulder, then lunged at the man and both went out of view once more, tangled in a fight. She was told his remains were found on the ground below.

Her plan slowly took form. It was a heartless move that would land the Admiral in a great deal of trouble, but the situation called for extreme measures. With her sights set on disturbing the foundation Thrawn had built since he joined forces with the Empire, she needed to ensure the Admiral would be away from Pantora — more accurately, away from Vanto — for long enough that she had time to plant some doubt in the young man's mind. And this recording was the key to ridding herself of his presence for a while.

Her amnesia would finally come in handy.

* * *

She had hoped her doctors would release her from the hospital in time for her interview with the Imperial agent investigating the incident, but unfortunately, they insisted she needed to stay one more day. Agent Moon, as he introduced himself, was kind enough to comply with her doctor's orders and conducted the interview at the hospital. He set up a small recording device on the table between them to document her account. He appeared to be in his 30's, with sand-colored hair and little spots across his nose and cheeks.

"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me Miss Chuchi…"

"Senator, please." She smiled at him. "Not Miss."

He returned a tight smile. "Yes, I'm sorry. Senator. I understand you've been suffering from some amnesia concerning the incident I'm here to discuss, but I would appreciate it if you told me anything you do remember."

"I would be happy to. Where would you like me to begin?"

"Where were you that evening?"

"Admiral Thrawn and I were both just outside my personal residence."

"What were you both doing there?"

"The Admiral and I have a shared interest in art collecting. He was coming over to see my collection," she said as casually as possible.

Thankfully Agent Moon was uninterested in whether or not there were any romantic overtones to the meeting. "What happened as you walked to your residence?"

"I'm afraid this is where my memories are unclear."

"That's fine, tell me what you do remember."

She inhaled deeply. "We were having a brief conversation, and then… everything happened so fast. Someone grabbed me from behind and kept me restrained, with a blaster pointed at my head. Thrawn had drawn his blaster, and there was a second assailant with a blaster aimed at him." She paused, shaking her head. "It's terribly difficult to recall anything. I remember the man who was restraining me telling me he was going to kill me. I remember seeing the Admiral shot. I have a vague memory of stabbing my attacker with my hairpin so I could escape. Everything else is so hazy I don't think it's reliable. The next clear memory I have is waking up in the hospital."

"Thank you, Senator. Is there anything else you remember about the Admiral during the situation?"

She shook her head. "I wish I had a clearer picture of events to give you. Unfortunately, I don't remember anything about the Admiral's confrontation with the other assailant."

"So… on the bridge. There was you, and the man restraining you. And the Admiral was in a standoff with a second assailant. Was anyone else there?"

She paused, pretending to think back over the situation but really calming herself, reassuring herself this was the correct next step. "Yes, that's all."

He glanced at his datapad, then laid it on the table and tapped a button to bring up three images — the three assailants. "Do any of these men look familiar to you?"

"Yes." She pointed to the first one Thrawn shot. "He was the one with the blaster aimed at Thrawn. The Pantoran man was the one restraining me. For clarity, I didn't see his face that evening, only later."

"For my records, when was it you saw his face?"

She assumed the subject would come up as it was directly related to the case. She had taken steps to prepare herself ahead of time, but all the mental preparation fell by the wayside and she started losing control of herself once more. The words started catching in her throat, her lungs tightening. "It was… here at the hospital. Honestly, I would prefer to not go into detail if it's not necessary."

"I don't think we need anything more specific from you, we have the Admiral's testimony regarding that incident." He returned his attention to the three images hovering above the table, and she nearly let out a sigh of relief. The further away the conversation stayed from the night she found Garren, the more confident she was in her control over the conversation. Moon tapped the image of the third assailant, the human native of Pantora. "The one on the left: you've never seen him?"

"I'm afraid I haven't."

"You are aware, Senator, there were three assailants that evening?"

"Yes, I've been told there were three. Unfortunately, I can only recall two."

"So the one on the left was not, to your knowledge, the third assailant?" He put an inordinate amount of stress on his words, as though he expected her to cave and claim she saw him that night.

"I wouldn't go on record saying he was because I truthfully have no recollection of a third assailant." She smiled, "But between the Admiral's testimony and the holo recording I've been told you have, you should have plenty of evidence of his involvement, right?"

* * *

Riyo watched the event replay on her datapad once more, wondering if she was about to make the right decision. She was familiar with Imperial behavior in matters like this investigation — they protected their own. Even if there was doubt about the third assailant's involvement, nothing would be said as long as that doubt was contained to the few officials who saw the case. But, if the recording were anonymously leaked on the holonet for the galaxy to see…

The part of the recording that made her hesitate: watching him struggle back to his feet, then turn to face Garren as he took aim at Riyo. For just a few frames, the damage was visible. The front of his jacket (she took a moment to grieve the loss) had a smoking black hole in it. But even then, it only confirmed that he had been hit. She couldn't be certain of the extent of the injury. How bad could it really have been if he was able to get up, cross the bridge, and tackle Garren only moments after he was shot?

Thrawn had, ultimately, saved her life. But if he'd faked the severity of his injury solely because he so strongly suspected she was involved with the Rebels, he was also to blame for the extent of her injuries. So the question remained: What could she believe?

Only two things came to mind: His awkward reaction to the sleeve, and to her touching his chest. He couldn't have faked those reactions. They were too genuine. Further, behaving so strangely wouldn't work in his favor. If he were trying to manipulate her, he either would have ignored the touch or used it to try and draw her in further. No, those reactions were genuine, unfiltered social ineptitude.

Maybe it was all in her head… maybe he was more genuine than she thought. And if his motivations really were what he claimed, if it wasn't all an attempt to manipulate her, leaking the recording was extremely immoral.

"I see they're still holding you captive."

His voice unleashed a near-nauseating mix of emotions in her, and she flipped the datapad closed quickly. She hadn't expected to see him the very same day as her interview with Agent Moon.

"Admiral, it's good to see you."

"I thought I might make a brief visit before my return to the Chimaera. Did everything go well with the investigator today?"

"I don't think I gave him any information he didn't already know."

"I'm sure it doesn't matter. These investigations are routine. Your honesty and cooperation are appreciated."

She forced a straight face, speaking earnestly, "I think I'll just be happy when this is all over. I appreciate you coming to visit, I'm sure you're very busy." This, she realized, was her opportunity. Or more accurately, it was his opportunity. She needed to pry just a little more, try to find something honest and true. "Will you tell me about your home?"

He tilted his head. "You seem quite curious to know of my home. What else would you like to know?"

"You've told me about your people and your planet, but you haven't actually mentioned anything about your _home_. Where did you grow up? What's your family like?"

He hesitated, "I grew up in a city, similar in size to this one. My family had a small home on the outskirts."

"Any siblings?"

He hesitated just long enough she thought he might not answer. "Yes, one. A brother."

She smiled a little, "Really? Which of you is older?"

"Him," a faint smile played at his lips, which she took as a good sign. This was something. This felt real.

"That's exactly what I would have guessed."

"To be fair, only by a very short amount of time."

"Oh? Twins?"

He nodded.

"Is he involved with military affairs as well?"

"No, he was actually involved in politics."

The mention of his profession might have thrown her off, but instead, she got stuck on the verb: was.

There was an awkward pause in the conversation, just long enough for him to realize she'd noticed and was thinking about it. His mannerisms suddenly changed. The faint smile faded, his posture stiffened. "He disappeared shortly before my exile."

Yes, this was real. This was definitely real. He was clamming up, forcing himself into military mode to avoid confronting something that was too painful to be open about.

"I… I'm sorry to hear that. What do you mean, he disappeared?"

"He was helping some people at the time. Their ship disappeared. As of the date of my exile, it was still missing."

She hesitated. This subject was painful for him, something he had to work to hide his physical reaction to. But then why was he still speaking about it with her? He could try to change the subject, or avoid giving her more than the essential information. "That's… awful. I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It is not the way I would have liked things to turn out, but loss is a natural part of life."

"It's not really loss though, is it? Loss implies the opportunity for closure." She bit her tongue. There was no sense in her making the comment; it was just pouring salt onto what was clearly an open wound. But his situation seemed to her something so much worse than loss; it was an agonizing, uncertain tension that he would likely never be free of.

He didn't reply, but tightness set in the corners of his eyes. This was real; it was too real. For both of them.

She sighed, sinking into her seat further. Just moments earlier she'd been thinking _he_ lacked social tact. "I'm sorry, that was unnecessary." She needed to change the subject, fast. Something that he would find safe, comfortable.

Work.

"Do you have any idea where your next assignment will be when you've finished your business here?"

The tension about him relaxed to something more normal. "I generally don't receive a great deal of notice in these matters. Likely, I will return to Coruscant and receive orders for another mission on the Outer Rim. That seems to be where most of my assignments take place."

"They must find you quite competent if they keep putting you in the Outer Rim."

"I imagine so," he said. "Admittedly, this has been one of my easiest assignments in the area. Your people are lucky to have such stability this far from the core. Has it always been this way?"

"Not always. It was quite unstable during the Clone Wars. Though to be fair most places were unstable at that time. Pantora was fairly split on our alliance with the Republic, so there was a great deal of internal unrest."

His eyes narrowed. "So you believe you've seen more stability since the Empire was established?"

Of course he would have latched onto that point. Pantora wasn't more stable, it just had the appearance of being more stable. People were terrified of what might happen if they spoke out, so they built facades to look like they were happily complying with the Empire's will. She knew she should have agreed outright, to keep up the appearance that she was unquestioningly his ally, the Empire's ally, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"It is much easier to have stability without war." It was the most acquiescent thing she could think to say.

To her surprise, Thrawn nodded. "That is true. It seems the Clone Wars negatively impacted many areas, even those not under Republic control."

"Were you affected where you're from?"

"We were lucky enough to not see anything. But I did witness some of the effects while exploring the edge of Republic territories. I met an official of the Army of the Republic while there, a General Skywalker. He explained a great deal of the conflict to me."

Riyo looked at him for what was probably far too long as she tried to assemble a coherent sentence. A tingling numbness swept over her body. " _Skywalker?_ Do you mean Anakin Skywalker?"

He tilted his head. "Yes. You were familiar with him?"

"I… yes, I knew Anakin quite well. I'm shocked to hear you mention his name. What was he doing out there?"

He shifted in his seat, looking as curious about their mutual acquaintance as she was. "He was on a mission for the Republic. Or goals aligned, so we worked together briefly."

Riyo let out an airy laugh. "Well… that's just…" She hadn't thought of Anakin for years, in fact, she'd made a habit of avoiding thinking about him.

He squinted at her. "Were you not fond of him?"

"I never said that. Anakin was..." She couldn't find a decent way to state her opinion.

Thrawn only looked at her narrowly, waiting for an answer.

She huffed, picking at the seam of her pants. It really wasn't something she wanted to speak of. But then, she'd also just pried into an extremely personal matter for him. "Anakin mentored one of my best friends during the Clone Wars. And he was… _close_ with another dear friend of mine."

"I can't claim I knew him personally, but he was a skilled warrior. I would have liked to work alongside him more had his life not been lost in the war."

She nodded slowly, feeling dizzy. "A warrior… Yes. Anakin was very good at destroying things."

He looked at her for a few long moments. "This is a painful subject for you?"

She didn't allow her expression to falter, "I prefer to not think of it, honestly."

"Then I am sorry to have pressed. I am curious about this shared connection, though. Perhaps you will feel more comfortable speaking of this in the future." He stood from his seat. "Unfortunately my time with you has passed, but I imagine I will see you again soon, Senator."

Her mind remained tangled in the discovery even after he'd left. The chances of him knowing Anakin of all people were so slim… and even more surprising, he _liked_ Anakin. Thrawn seemed so entirely opposite Skywalker in every way; he was calm, level-headed, professional, logical… Certainly, she'd been fooled by Anakin for some time, but she had plenty of things that clouded her judgment of his character - namely Padme and Ahsoka's attachment to him. Thrawn had none of that, and his observations usually seemed uniquely detached, unbiased by external factors. He should have noticed what lay beneath the surface slightly faster than most. Surely, anyone looking at Skywalker objectively would have seen his instability and violent tendencies.

A sickening realization struck her.

He _had_ recognized it. And he respected Anakin in spite of his destructive, impulsive, brutal behavior because ultimately, Anakin was effective.

She flipped the datapad open and leaked the video.

* * *

By the following morning, Pantora was in an uproar.

Kenzo was at the hospital to visit her first that morning. "You've seen this, right?"

He turned on a holo report before she could respond. The newscaster spoke with a consultant on military affairs:

 _"_ _So it's clear from this recording the Imperial officer is, in fact, responsible for keeping the Senator safe, correct?"_

 _"_ _Yes, I would feel comfortable saying the evidence proves that much. But mistakes happen even by those with good intentions. It appears the officer was possibly caught up in the moment and mistakenly killed an unarmed, innocent civilian."_

Riyo nodded, trying to avoid looking at the video replaying on the screen. "Yes, I saw it before you came in."

A few years prior her airspeeder was involved in a hit and run right outside her apartment building. Investigators found a second camera on a neighboring building that recorded the incident from a different angle — that same camera would have caught this incident and would reveal the true nature of the third assailant. It would take Imperial investigators awhile to find it, giving her enough time to work out her plan with the Commander.

Kenzo groaned, crossing his arms over his head like he was trying to hide. "This is going to be a kriffing PR nightmare for the Admiral. We've had messages pouring in all morning. They want the Navy gone from Pantora, and they want them gone yesterday. There's already a massive protest taking place in front of the capitol building…"

She inhaled deeply. She expected this level of response from the Pantoran people.

"Well?" He eyed her, "What do you think of the situation? You were there…"

Riyo shook her head, "Kenzo, you know I can't discuss this when the officials involved haven't closed the case yet. Especially not in this climate, with protesters and every news station watching."

"Right. Right." He nodded, glancing at the screen and then back to her. "How about between you and I? Off the record?"

Lying to Kenzo about what happened was so much more difficult than speaking to the Imperial agent. She forced herself to shake her head. "I can't recall."

He gave her a long, deathly silent look, then rubbed his face roughly and looked back to the newscast. "This won't turn out well for him."

She forced a breath to relax the awful tension in her chest. "I'm sure the Admiral will be fine. The Empire takes care of their own. They will find a way to bury this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen any of the Imperial news coverage the issue? They actually spent several minutes discussing it this morning, which is big considering it happened somewhere outside the core."

Kenzo had a strange affinity for watching Imperial newscasts. He once told her he found it comical. That was when she first realized he had a somewhat twisted sense of humor. He changed the holoprojector to an Imperial channel. It featured two humans, a host and his guest.

 _"_ _I don't know, Orus, this whole incident has me deeply conflicted and I think most of our viewers feel the same way. Of course we would all love to see these Rebels wiped from the face of the galaxy, and of course, we all support our men and women in uniform, but the evidence here has me questioning this officer's judgment."_

 _"_ _You know, I've been saying this for ages now, but the Navy needs to be extremely careful about allowing these types into their ranks… People think I'm crazy for saying that but just look at that recording. He clearly carries animosity toward humans, and that pent-up anger led to him killing an innocent human civilian. I mean the way he lunges at the victim…"_

She waved a hand, "Turn that trash off, I don't need to start my day listening to that."

Kenzo looked more than happy to turn it off. He shook his head, "This is going to get very ugly for the Admiral."

* * *

 **Note from the author: I sort of can't believe all the love you guys are giving this! I appreciate every comment and fav/follow. You guys are the best, you help keep me motivated!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Let me be clear: While I take no pride in any of the trouble I caused by leaking the holovid, in hindsight I also have no regrets about it. It was a clever strategy, and it was spectacularly effective. I have no qualms with using less palatable tactics against those who I know would just as readily use them against me. People who hesitate to do so are not just ignorant - they are weak, and they will lose. I would know; I watched a government fall and a tyrant take power because we were all too proud to really fight._

 _But my conscience doesn't entirely escape the use of nefarious tactics. It's never the target I grieve for. I choose my targets carefully, they're always deserving of whatever comes. Rather, it's those who get caught in the crossfire. It's the people who unknowingly get manipulated for the greater good, who often end up paying a price for things they essentially had no hand in. It's the people who trust you to do the right thing, but end up hurt._

* * *

Eli had a strong suspicion he knew why Thrawn requested a private meeting with him at the end of the day. The leaked holovid of the attack on the Senator had seemingly ignited the fury of every being in the galaxy overnight. The Empire would probably open a full investigation into the events of the evening. Eli braced himself to be court martialed, once again.

There was no doubt in his mind that Thrawn acted appropriately in the situation. He'd seen the man in confrontations before. As with everything, he was calm, focused, and precise. If the third person hadn't been a threat, Thrawn would not have attacked him. He was thankful Thrawn rarely watched Imperial news broadcasts because once they caught wind of a nonhuman officer killing a human they'd been spewing nothing but vitriol.

The atmosphere aboard the Chimaera had been terse since the news broke. Everyone who paid attention to the news - which was a good majority of the crew - had seen the reports. Nobody spoke about it. Or, more likely, they weren't speaking about it around Eli. He'd been getting uncomfortable sympathetic looks from people all day.

Thrawn sat patiently in his cabin, reviewing something on his datapad. "Commander Vanto, thank you for joining me. There is an important matter for us to discuss."

"Sir?"

"Have you seen the recent controversy surrounding the incident with the Senator?"

Eli tried not to wince. "Yes, unfortunately, I have."

"The Empire is opening a full investigation and is recalling me to Coruscant until the matter is resolved. It seems the misunderstanding, and therefore my presence here, has created a great deal of unrest on Pantora."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. This whole thing is turning into a giant mess. Hopefully, the Senator's testimony will help resolve the issue."

"The Senator, as you know, has suffered significant memory loss due to the traumatic injury she received that evening. She is unable to recall the assailant in question."

Eli's mouth hung open. "What?" Without her account to verify his actions… this was bad. Very bad. "Sir…"

Thrawn shook his head, waving a hand. "I don't believe there is any reason for concern, Commander. I have faith the Empire will conduct a thorough investigation that will lead them to the truth."

He nodded, wishing he felt as confident about the matter as Thrawn sounded. "Right. I'm sure you're right. When do we leave?"

"That is the matter I wished to discuss with you. Given the status of this mission, and the complicated nature of my own situation, I believe it is best for you and the rest of the crew to remain here while I return to Coruscant."

"Yo- What? We're staying here?"

"Yes. The attack on the Senator was likely orchestrated by someone who the Senator knows well enough they would be aware of her whereabouts that evening. Given that she is a target, it is imperative the Empire leaves a force here to oversee her safety in my absence, as well as to continue overseeing the supply shipments to Orto Plutionia. Aside from her safety, placing someone such as yourself in her immediate circle will allow you to observe potential suspects. I am entrusting you with that duty while I am on Coruscant."

Great. He was stuck on Pantora, playing security detail for the Senator. "Right… Understood. The Senator has agreed to this?"

He suddenly looked very tired. "She hasn't, but in this situation, I have the authority to assign her an Imperial security detail regardless of her will, since the threat pertains directly to Imperial interests."

Eli could already tell this wasn't going to go over well with the Senator, but if Thrawn insisted it was the right course of action, the least Eli could do was follow orders while he dealt with his complicated predicament.

"When do you leave?"

"Whenever we've finished our discussion."

Eli whistled, "They didn't give you much notice, did they?"

"I anticipated some action from them by the end of the day." He stood. "Are you confident in your abilities to handle this assignment, Commander?"

"I am." He stood as well, and a vague sense of dread overcame him. Thrawn's situation was dire. This could be the last conversation he ever had with the man. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

What could he possibly say that might do the situation justice? "It's been a pleasure serving you, and I'm confident the entire crew agrees with me on that. Not a single one of us believes you might have handled the situation incorrectly. You have our support."

He bowed his head graciously. "Thank you, Eli."

"Good luck back on Coruscant."

Thrawn just smiled, "I suspect I will see you again soon."

* * *

Kenzo handed the datapad displaying the official order back to Eli. "You can let the Admiral know the thought is appreciated, but the Senator already has her own security detail."

He expected this would be met with resistance. Kenzo was the initial test, to prepare him for the pending fight with the Senator. He'd held onto a small thread of hope that they might be more amicable than usual because the Senator was finally out of the hospital, but Kenzo had happily snapped that thread the second they'd started talking.

Eli pushed the datapad back into his hands. "Like I said, the Admiral is gone. And I don't think you understand. This is an order, approved by the Emperor himself. We," he motioned to the two troopers assigned to her security, "are here to stay."

He looked at Eli with an irritated scowl, then snatched the datapad from him and disappeared into Riyo's office.

"Is it going to be like this the whole time?" One of the troopers asked quietly.

Eli sighed, "You have no idea."

Moments later the two emerged from behind the doors, the datapad in Riyo's hands. She walked to him, never bothering to take her eyes off the screen.

"The Admiral ran this request past Sheev so I couldn't object?"

"Admiral Thrawn felt it was a matter of extreme importance, especially given that he's been temporarily called to Coruscant," he said through gritted teeth. Sheev? She called the Emperor by his first name? Who the hell did this lady think she was?

She looked at him, then down at the datapad. She handed it back to him. "Well, that's terribly thoughtful of him. I'll let my own guards know they've been relieved."

From the look on Kenzo's face, he was as shocked by her reaction as Eli was.

* * *

The security detail was something of a nuisance. Just when she was finally freed from the hospital, she was trapped once more by two shadows she couldn't rid herself of. She could barely stand to work with them constantly present in her private office, despite the fact that they always stood on the other side of the room and never spoke to her unless they needed to.

An even bigger problem than getting her Senatorial work done was finding a way to contact Ardella without them knowing. The troopers followed her everywhere, even keeping guard at her home in the evenings. The only place she found the slightest bit of privacy was in her washroom, and even then she kept the volume of her comlink on the lowest setting so they wouldn't overhear through the door.

The woman's face flickered into view, "Senator, what can I help you with?"

Her tone had changed since the attack. She always used to ask what Riyo had for her. She approved of the change. "Have you picked up on the controversy with the Admiral?"

"Anyone in this area who watches holonet news knows." She grinned, "Is this your work?"

Riyo frowned. She wasn't proud of it, and there was no reason for Ardella to take any pleasure in it either. "The Admiral has been recalled to Coruscant. They have an Imperial security detail watching me, so making contact is going to be difficult for some time. There's no saying how long before he's back, so assume you don't have much time."

"You think he'll return?"

She nearly mentioned the second recording, but stopped herself from giving away too much to Ardella. If the Rebels knew of the second recording, they would find and destroy the only evidence Thrawn was innocent before the Empire got to it. She needed him temporarily gone, not falsely convicted of murder and in an Imperial jail cell for the rest of his life. "I'm sure they'll find a way to get him out of it."

She nodded reluctantly. "They have a way of doing that for their own. Thanks for the tip, Senator."

"There's one more thing, Ardella. Avoid any attacks on Orto Plutonia for the time being. I know it's tempting with the Admiral gone, but I have something in the works. I will likely contact you to ask for a favor soon."

Ardella eyed her suspiciously and nodded, "I certainly owe you, so I will respect your request."

* * *

The troopers spent the entire day watching after the Senator, while Eli checked in a few times a day so he had enough time to tend to his other duties. They managed one whole uneventful day, but disaster struck first thing the following morning.

Kenzo was in his usual spot at the front desk, perfectly coiffed pink hair just visible over the top of his screen. Riyo's office doors sat open, but neither she nor the guards were there.

"She's not in yet," Kenzo said before he asked, not bothering to come out from behind the screen.

"Is she usually this late?"

"No, she said she had errands to run." He motioned to the seats, finally sparing Eli an apathetic glance, "Relax, it may be a bit."

He took a seat and Kenzo continued his work, pretending Eli wasn't there. He felt like he should say something, just to start a casual conversation, but everything he could think to say felt utterly wrong. It was probably better that way - Kenzo wanted to forget about everything, and so did he. They weren't friends who could have casual, chummy talks. They were just two professionals who barely knew each other. They didn't even _want_ to know each other. It was better that he just keep his mouth shut.

Eventually, the Senator came through the door packing what appeared to be a large, lush plant with oversized, fan-like leaves. The two troopers followed after her, probably rolling their eyes under their helmets.

Kenzo stood from the desk quickly and grabbed the plant from her, "You shouldn't be carrying things like this…" He shot the troopers a warning glare, "Don't let her carry things, she's still recovering."

"Good morning to you as well, Kenzo," the Senator sounded like she was about to start laughing. She nodded to Eli, "Commander, it's good to see you as well."

Kenzo slid the plant onto the desk and returned to his nest behind the counter, frowning.

"I just wanted to check in first thing this morning," Eli said. "Everything went well with the troopers last evening?"

"Yes, everything was fine." Before he asked his next question, she turned away from him and to Kenzo. "It's your mother's birthday this weekend, isn't it?"

"It is." Kenzo turned from the screen and, for the first time since Eli arrived, smiled. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed his teeth before; they were perfectly straight and white. Too perfect. He probably had them professionally whitened. What a snob.

"You have plans to go see her over the weekend?"

"I do. I'm leaving this evening, once we're done here."

She petted one of the plant leaves affectionately. "This is for her. I think you should take the rest of the day off and head out to her place early."

Eli couldn't quite fathom the weirdness of these two, with their stupid fancy jackets and perfect teeth and pretty hair and...

"Oh, that's... really thoughtful. Thank you." Kenzo looked at the plant like he wasn't sure what to do with it. "Are you sure you're okay with me leaving early? I have a few things to finish up here."

… and why did he keep looking at the plant like he wasn't sure about it? Yeah, it was a weird gift, but just smile and take the thing to make your boss happy. Kenzo absentmindedly picked at the leaves as he spoke to her, carefully removing any brownish dead parts like it was second nature to try and fix everything. Like he was so perfect at fixing everything he could do it while distracted by a conversation.

"No, no, you should absolutely leave," Riyo said. "You've worked hard enough lately, you deserve to take an early weekend. Nothing we're working on at the moment is more important than your mother's birthday."

Kenzo probably needed an extra day off to relax. Maybe he wouldn't be so unbearable and neurotic next time Eli saw him.

The Senator motioned to him, "Commander Vanto will go with you."

 _What?_

"What?" Kenzo's fingers froze on the edge of a leaf, his face dropping.

"Senator," Eli stepped toward them, "I've been assigned to oversee _your_ security detail, not…"

"Yes, you've been assigned to my security detail and Kenzo is more or less an extension of me and my work. If these Rebels have designated me as a target, I have no doubt they may attempt to go after him. Since the troopers need to stay with me, you can go with Kenzo."

"Riyo, this really isn't necessary…" Kenzo looked like he dreaded the thought as much as Eli.

She frowned at her assistant. "Yes, Kenzo, it is. If something happened to you and I didn't take this small measure of precaution I would be remiss."

Eli needed to halt this idea as quickly as possible. "I understand that Senator, but I have other obligations here. It's not part of my duty to…"

"Is this assignment not the priority of your obligations? I would be happy to reach out to the Admiral to get his approval if you think it's necessary."

He couldn't imagine Thrawn fielding a request so banal in the midst of what he was likely dealing with on his way back to Coruscant. "No… No, don't do that." He gritted his teeth. "Fine. How long will this take?"

Kenzo looked nearly devastated. "Riyo, come on, I'll be gone all weekend. He doesn't need to come to my mother's home…"

She raised a warning eyebrow, "You know your mother would never forgive me if something happened to you simply because I underestimated your importance."

Kenzo's shoulders sank with the weight of the guilt trip.

Riyo smiled, "Koya certainly won't mind an extra guest for the weekend." She scooted the plant closer to him. "Don't forget the plant."

She strode into her office, followed by the troopers, and closed the door. Kenzo rubbed the bridge of his nose like he had a headache. Finally, he heaved a sigh and stood, pointing sternly to Eli, "You… just wait here. I need to talk her out of this."

Eli frowned at the finger. Did Kenzo think he was a trained pet or something?

He disappeared into the Senator's office, and moments later the two troopers were kicked out of the office.

One shrugged to Eli, "That guy really doesn't like you, does he?"

"It's mutual," Eli scowled at the door, hoping Kenzo could talk the crazy woman out of this terrible idea.

* * *

Kenzo's expression softened the moment they were alone, "Riyo… I know you want to try using him as an informant, and I'm sure I can get information out of him, but you don't need to force him on a weekend trip with me to make that happen."

She expected he would want to speak about this privately, for exactly this reason. He was extremely protective of his family; time with his mother was nearly sacred to him. To him, it appeared she was pushing work on him while he was away. And considering all he'd just done for her while she was hospitalized it probably came across as extremely rude.

She shook her head, "Kenzo, I would never ask something like that of you that would interfere with your time with your mother. I'm not sending Vanto with you so you can get information out of him. You're under absolutely no obligation to do any work while you're away. This is solely because I am genuinely concerned for your safety."

He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. "I know, it's just…"

"By all means, feel free to ignore him all weekend. I know your mother well enough to know she'll understand. In fact, she'd probably think less of me if I didn't take such precautions with your safety. Trust me, I know this is an annoyance. I had two stormtroopers in my home all night last night. But it is a necessity."

He inhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "Yes. You're right. I appreciate the thought."

"There is one thing I need you to do for me before you leave, though. Can you draft a quick press release for me?"

"Yeah, absolutely. What do you need?"

"In regard to this mess with the investigation… I just need a statement saying I can't give a statement at this time."

His eyebrows drew together, "You want a statement that says you aren't giving a statement?"

"At this time. Yes."

The confused expression was cemented on his face. "Yes, I can…" He paused, and scratched the back of his head, "Do you mind me asking why?"

"They've been hounding the office for awhile now," Riyo said.

"Yes, trust me I know that, but everyone already knows you can't give a statement because the investigation is underway. Issuing a statement saying you're not giving a statement at this time implies that you have something to state about the matter." He paused, "I'm just trying to understand the purpose of this. I think it might just make things worse."

 _This_ was precisely why she loved having him on her team. He was absolutely right, it would make things worse. Which was exactly what she needed. But he couldn't know that, at least not yet. Maybe someday she could explain this whole mess to him.

Instead, she smiled, "It will be fine. Just trust me on this one."


	13. Chapter 13

_There is one trait of a truly great assistant that I will never understand: their uncanny ability to do exactly what you need them to do, sometimes without even being aware that they're doing the right thing._

* * *

Since they left at such a peculiar hour mid-morning, Eli and Kenzo were the only ones on the train leaving the capital. Just the two of them, their luggage, and the plant. Eli wasn't familiar with Pantora's transportation system, but there was a certain breathtaking element to the train. The outside had a sleek, ornate design, and it was clean and well-kept inside. The seats were all covered in soft, rich navy fabric. He imagined the luxury trains on Coruscant were similar, not that he'd ever been on one. But from the little he gathered from Kenzo-the little Kenzo was willing to speak with him-this wasn't a luxury train, it was just the train that everyone used.

The train ran high above the ground, so as it carried them from the city they had an expansive view of the vast, snow-covered plains that stretched as far as Eli could see in every direction. It was so stunning he couldn't keep focused on the shipyard records he brought on his datapad.

Kenzo sat opposite him in the car, with the massive plant at his feet, working on his own datapad. In the few terse words they had exchanged Kenzo informed him the train would take several hours to reach their destination. They'd be stuck here for awhile. But with a view like they had, Eli didn't really mind. He figured he might as well make the most of his situation.

After watching the neverending plains for some time, he turned his attention back to the records, hoping he could maintain some semblance of productivity over the weekend. It was unfortunate Kenzo couldn't convince the Senator this was a terrible idea, but he really couldn't blame him. From everything he'd seen, she was remarkably stubborn.

The trip drug on, the only noise between them the quiet hum of the train. Every few hours the train would bank slightly, and the plant would slide across the floor until Kenzo stretched a long leg out to stop it with his foot.

After a few hours, Kenzo finally spoke. "What are you reading?"

"Hm?" His voice caught Eli off guard, he'd grown so used to nothing but the sound of the train. "It's a spreadsheet."

He raised an eyebrow, "Is that fun for you?"

Eli shrugged, "It's interesting."

Kenzo squinted at him, as though the notion were worthy of his judgement for some reason. "… Right."

Eli chose to ignore the snide comment and turned back to his work. The train bore onward.

Hours later, Eli realized they were no longer moving. The train moved so smoothly he hadn't even feel their loss in momentum until they were at a complete halt. Kenzo stood and stretched his legs before grabbing his pack from an overhead storage shelf with a little more force than necessary. Apparently he was still bitter about Eli's presence.

"This is it," he said without bothering to look at Eli.

Eli looked out the window. He hadn't really thought much of what Kenzo's home might be like-if anything he was surprised to learn Kenzo hadn't grown up in the capitol. Everything about him matched the metropolis: the perfect grooming, the fancy clothes, the snobbish attitude. But what was before him-it was nothing he ever would have expected. There wasn't even a city.

It was a small station, with a well worn but clean platform for passengers to exit onto and a tiny ticket booth manned by one person, not a droid. It was on the outskirts of what was best described as a small village, with one main road and so few buildings he nearly could have counted them on his fingers.

Kenzo strode out onto the platform with the plant, and Eli pulled his heavy uniform coat on and hopped off after him, mystified by the sparse cluster of buildings before him.

"Hey! Kenzo! Is that you?" the woman behind the ticket booth shouted to him, waving.

He made his way over to her, his tone warm and utterly different from when he'd spoken to Eli. "Chau, it's good to see you! It's been far too long since I've been home!"

"It has!" The plump middle-aged woman swatted at him playfully, "Your mother is going to be so happy. Does she know you're coming?"

"She was expecting me for the weekend, but I'm here early."

"That's right, it's her birthday, isn't it?" She grinned at him, "You're such a good son, she's very proud of you." Her eyes turned to Eli, dressed in his puffy coat and uniform, standing there stupidly. "Who's your… friend?"

"Security detail."

Her eyes grew wide, "Oh! After that awful incident? It makes sense they'd have someone watching over you too. Such a pity. The whole thing is a terrible mess."

"That it is…" He looked toward the small town, clearly ready to dismiss the subject. "It's a little cold out to walk, is there someone around who could give us a ride?"

She squinted at Kenzo with a teasing smirk, "Are you getting too used to Coruscant weather?"

He nodded to Eli, "Human."

"Oh… yeah, yeah. I forget you all like it warm, don't you?"

Eli had no idea what that meant. Maybe they tolerated cold better? Neither of them appeared even remotely bothered by the weather. Kenzo was only wearing a jacket. Another stupid one with too many buttons and flourishy things. "Er… yes?"

She waved, laughing, "I'm certain there's someone around who would be happy to take you. Check in the shop."

 _The_ shop. Because there was only one shop in the entire village.

* * *

The shop must have contained half the town's population—8 or 10 people, all of whom knew Kenzo, and all of whom were overly happy to see him. Their reactions to Kenzo's return reminded Eli a little of the few times he'd been home to Lysatra.

Strangely, not a single person made a comment about the fact that Eli, dressed in his uniform and armed with a blaster he was completely certain he wouldn't need, was clearly affiliated with the Empire. He didn't even catch anyone looking at him strangely. It was like a whole different planet from the capital city, where someone on the streets had actually thrown a half-eaten sandwich at him while he was in uniform.

They ended up catching a ride with a friendly man who went by the name Big Po-aptly named by Eli's standards. He had an old snow skiff with a bad engine that needed to heat up before he took them anywhere, so they spent some time talking with people while they waited. They were curious about Eli, asking him nearly as many questions as they asked Kenzo.

He ended up chatting with an elderly man with remarkably bushy eyebrows, who spoke very animatedly and with an accent much thicker than Kenzo's. He made a triangular shape with his hands, "You live in one of those big ships you see in the Imperial Navy recruiting advertisements?"

"Sort of. I spend a good deal of time stationed aboard one, but I have breaks when I get to live on Coruscant, where I'm stationed."

"No kidding… how long do they make you stay on a ship?"

He shrugged, "It varies quite a bit. Months at a time."

"Months?! Do they let you stop and go walk around somewhere?"

Eli got the impression the old man sincerely underestimated the size of a Star Destroyer. "We do occasionally have stops."

"I bet you've seen a lot of worlds."

"Enough that I've lost track."

"Which is your favorite?"

Eli paused for a moment. "This one?"

The old man cackled and slapped his arm, "Right answer! What's the real answer, though?"

"Lysara, where I grew up. It's in Wild Space."

"Wild Space?! No kidding…"

Out of the corner of his eye he would have sworn he saw Kenzo give him a nearly kind looking smile, but maybe that was just to the person he was conversing with.

Once the vehicle was ready to go, they loaded in and made their way past the limits of the village toward a tall, narrow building Kenzo pointed out to him. It was only a short drive from the village, but far enough that walking in the cold weather would have been miserable, at least for Eli. The building was surrounded by basically nothing. Big Po and Kenzo chatted on about something in the front of the snow skiff while Eli spaced out, dazed by the unexpected, eerie familiarity of everything. His home town was much bigger than this, but the people-the way they spoke and their friendly mannerisms-were in many ways very similar. Their chauffeur nearly crushed them both with a hug that Eli wasn't sure he deserved when he dropped them off, then returned to the village in a sputtering trail of snow.

Kenzo, plant still in hand, went to a tall, skinny door on the building and knocked.

Nothing happened for quite some time.

"This is your home?" Eli asked.

"Yes. This is where I grew up," he said with a hint of irritation.

Eli shut his mouth. Obviously the question was stupid, he just kind of couldn't believe _this_ was where Kenzo grew up. Kenzo, for some reason, was frowning slightly, but not at Eli. His attention was focused on the snow between his feet and the door, a deep crease in his brow like he was thinking about something. Finally, he sighed and his expression relaxed, and he looked back up at the door. They stood quietly in the snow, waiting.

"Are you sure she's home?" Eli asked.

He pointed up the structure, "She's probably toward the top, give her a bit."

A short wait later the door flew open and a white-haired woman stood before them, giving a yip of surprise. Eli had to stop himself from letting out a dumbstruck _Oh!_ when he recognized her—it was the same woman he'd noticed leaving the Senator's office in tears the first time they visited her.

"Kenzo! You're early!"

He grinned at her from behind the plant, "I am! Riyo let me off early to come see you." He held the plant out, "This is from her. Happy Birthday."

"Oh!" She took it from his hands and petted a green and purple streaked leaf affectionately, then looked back up to her son like she was about the laugh. "Does she forget I grow these for a living?"

He shrugged, "I've tried to explain it to her, but for some reason she thinks the fact that you grow plants means they make a good gift."

"Well… It is a kind gesture." She set it to the side and threw her arms around him, looking a little teary-eyed. "It's so good to see you!"

Eli shivered.

The woman finally noticed him and blinked a few times to clear her eyes. She looked at her son with a questioning smile, "Who's your friend?"

"Ah, mother," he motioned to Eli with faux grandeur, "this is Commander Eli Vanto, my security detail."

Her expression very quickly switched to concern, "Oh… Kenzo, did they give you a security detail as well after what happened to the Senator? You didn't mention that."

"Riyo insisted, for the trip."

"That's probably a good call on her behalf. I'm happy she's so thoughtful about these things." She turned to Eli with a warm hearted smile. Kenzo definitely inherited his eyes from her, and she had the same golden marks on her forehead. "It's good to meet you, Commander. I'm Koya Nui."

"Good to meet you as well, ma'am. Please call me Eli."

"Well, both of you ought to come in already, you look like you're about to freeze out there," she started off into her home, and they followed. "I wasn't expecting you so early, or with a guest. I don't have any food ready yet, but I can make you both some tea."

"That would be nice, thank you," Kenzo called after her.

Eli would have thanked her for the offer as well, but he was distracted by the interior of her home. He'd gathered she must be a botanist, but her profession was integrated right into her home. The walls around them stretched straight up, all the way to the top of the tall structure, where they met a skylight. An unbelievable variety of plants covered the walls—leafy ones and grassy ones, a few bush-like ones bearing some kind of fruit he didn't recognize, and even a few with large, purple-streaked leaves that looked identical to the gift from the Senator. The far side of the circular structure had a lift leading to a few platforms, each of which had doors to private rooms. She disappeared into one on the main level.

He caught Kenzo giving him a snide look. He must have looked like a moron, standing there staring upward with his mouth hanging open.

"I've never seen anything like this."

"Haven't you?" Koya had already returned with two steaming mugs of tea so incredibly fragrant it made his mouth water. "I've been told this style of horticulture is uniquely Pantoran, but I've always assumed something similar must exist elsewhere in the galaxy."

He gladly took the warm mug, "Not that I've ever seen. It's beautiful, really. I can't believe you live in this."

"Sometimes I can't either. I do feel a bit lucky for it." She looked up, her hands on her hips, "Though to be fair, it takes a lot of work to be this lucky."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Probably longer than you've been alive." She laughed, making her way back to the kitchen. "I'm sure you're both hungry, I'll work on making something."

"Er… you really don't need to…"

Kenzo squeezed his shoulder, "Don't bother. She'll make you eat either way." He dropped his pack onto the floor and took off his fancy jacket. Underneath, he wore a basic black shirt with cropped sleeves. The skin on his forearms was covered in more golden markings like the ones on his face. Eli wondered briefly if those too were a sort of family heirloom, or if they were something he'd done just for aesthetic purposes. The markings wound up his arm and disappeared up his sleeve. Were they only on his arms, or did they cover his whole body?

Before he had a chance to stare too much, Kenzo changed into a utilitarian looking jacket, "You're going to want to eat anyway."

Eli frowned at him, ripping his mind away from thoughts of where else the markings might be. "Are you going to micromanage my food intake while I'm here?"

"No," he sounded mildly annoyed. "First, my mother is an exceptional cook and you'd miss out if you didn't at least try everything she makes," he slipped his dress shoes off and pulled a pair of what looked like work boots from his luggage, "and second because scaling these walls takes a terrible amount of energy. You need fuel."

"What am I scaling the walls for?"

"I'm putting you to work."

"Wait… what?"

Kenzo looked at him with a severe, quirked eyebrow, a warning for Eli to shut his mouth unless he wanted to further offend his hosts. "There's work to be done. Would you rather stand around and wait for the Rebel attack that is never going to happen while my mother does everything by herself?" His eyes ran down Eli's body, "Or is your uniform not meant to do any actual work?"

* * *

Eli was tired to the bones by the end of the first day. He'd spent several hours dangling above the ground in a harness contraption, helping Kenzo tend to Koya's plants. Koya had turned in for the evening, and the house was quiet. He found Kenzo in one of the bedrooms—presumably the one he grew up in. The door sat open, leading to a neat space with renderings of cities Eli didn't recognize hanging on the walls. There was a shelf packed full of data-tapes against the one wall next to a tidy desk with only Kenzo's datapad and a sleek lamp on the surface. Kenzo sat on the other side of a glass door with a balcony overlooking the wilderness.

Eli slid the door open and stepped out into the cold night air, "Do you mind if I join you?"

Kenzo's feet hung off the balcony through the railing. A mug of tea sat next to him — it must have been fresh because it was still giving off wisps of steam in the frigid winter air.

"Not at all," he said softly.

Eli sat on the other side of the mug, hanging his feet off as well. The sky above was clear of any clouds, giving a brilliant view of the stars. It must have been the first time since he'd arrived here that it wasn't snowing.

Kenzo didn't speak, so Eli finally did, "I noticed you giving me this smirk all day…"

The expression popped onto his face again, "Oh?"

He inhaled deeply, preparing for what he needed to say, and the storm of sarcasm he knew would follow, "This isn't what I would have expected you to come from."

"Really? I never struck you as a farm boy?" he teased.

"I have to admit I may have been a little judgmental."

Kenzo reached for his mug, "You? Judgmental? No…"

"It was wrong of me."

Kenzo laughed to himself, shaking his head.

"I like it here," Eli added. "Much more than the capital."

"Me too," he sipped on his tea. "Granted, I'm biased by a childhood of memories. But the people here are the best in the entire galaxy. I'm completely convinced of that."

"They might be the nicest. And your mother is possibly the nicest of them all."

"She let me know earlier she's really rather fond of you and that you are welcome back at any time."

It was flattering, but not surprising in the least. He was under the impression the woman would welcome just about anyone into her home. "I saw her the first time Thrawn and I came to your office. She was just leaving when we arrived. She was crying."

He expected a twisted grin and a sharp comeback, but instead Kenzo barely offered a sad smile. "I'd just returned from a few months on Coruscant. She always makes a trip to the capital to visit me as soon as I return, and insists on seeing me even if I'm in the office. It's a little disruptive but… but I don't have the heart to tell her to wait until I'm off work. Riyo doesn't mind."

He couldn't help but think of the last time he'd seen his own mother. His relationship with his parents wasn't nearly as close as Kenzo's was with his mother, but reunions were always a little tearful. He leaned back on his hands casually, "So what makes a farm boy from a nice place like this interested in the mess of Coruscant politics?"

He hummed, "A lot of things. I love the people here, and I wanted to do everything I could to help them. And I'd always admired Riyo and her work." He shrugged, "And a few other things. Riyo was really the guiding force behind it. I'd admired her since I was a boy. She's from this area, and I thought it was so amazing to see someone from the countryside successful among the city elites."

"Wait… you're kidding me. The Senator is from here too?"

"Haven't you noticed she and I speak similarly? Different from the capital dwellers?"

"I didn't think much of it." He tried to picture the Senator in the tiny village. It didn't fit. "I can hardly believe that."

"Hang on." Kenzo disappeared into his room and returned moments later with a pair of binoculars. He handed them to Eli and pointed out to the mountains marking the edge of the plains, "Start at the base of the far edge and start looking up, slowly."

Off the edge of the mountain was what could best be described as a palace—a stunning, intricately designed manor, so massive that once he knew where to look it could be spotted without binoculars.

 _That_ made more sense.

"The Chuchi family is essentially Pantoran nobility. They're an old, wealthy family, so she had that working in her favor when she was breaking into politics. But there are very few noble families who haven't moved their manors to a major city. There's a stigma against people from these parts, even if they have money."

"Is that why she hired you? Because you're from the same area?"

He glanced over to Eli, a pink eyebrow raised, "She hired me because I'm damn good at what I do." His attention turned back to the snow-blanketed expanse before them. "But I do imagine that worked in my favor."

"That's not a bad thing," he pointed out.

"Hm." Kenzo tilted his head again, looking at Eli. "What about you? I've never asked you about your family."

"We're close. Not as close as you and your mother seem to be, but close. It's strange, with my job I've seen so much of the galaxy I would never have otherwise. Every time I visit with them, it feels like we have less and less in common. Do you ever feel like that, going between here and Coruscant?"

"I do, sometimes. I come back here as often as I can, and I visit with my mother a great deal while I'm away. I think it helps keep me connected." He nodded to Kenzo, "How would you say you're different from them?"

Eli considered his response. "I've been feeling more and more like they have no real sense of the scope of the galaxy. I can't blame them for that. They have their lives and their business on Lysatra and there's no real reason for them to see or understand the entire galaxy. It's my perspective that's the strange one, really. How many people actually get the opportunity to do what I've done with my life, to see everything I've seen?"

"Not many. You're better for it."

"Am I?"

"Yes. Your perspective is more well-rounded."

Well-rounded or not, the gigantic void growing between him and his homeworld filled him with sadness. He was proud of his home and his family. He loved them more than anything. Losing his ability to relate to them was such a lonely prospect. And it wasn't as though he'd built a new home based out of Courscant; he was barely ever there and didn't like it when he was. The closest thing he had was the Chimaera crew, who in many ways were his new family. But it seemed strange to not really have a community or even a few individuals to relate to outside of work. Such was military life, he supposed.

"What about you?" He nodded to Kenzo, "How are you different from the people here?"

"Hm," he brought the mug to his lips again. "I have a vastly superior sense of style."

Evidently, Kenzo wasn't interested in disclosing any serious differences because he didn't continue.

"Well, as strange as it's turning out, I'm actually happy Riyo forced me to come out here with you."

Kenzo's response was slower than Eli expected, and he had an odd, conflicted look on his face. Maybe that last bit- _with you_ -was a little too far. He stole another drink for his mug, like he was trying to buy more time to come up with a response.

"Trying to escape work, I see."

Eli laughed, more to dismiss the conversation as anything serious than in reaction to Kenzo's reply. "I wish. I brought enough on my datapad to keep me busy for several weekends."

His eyes narrowed, "Oh? What did you…" He paused, his jaw clamped shut. He shook his head, "Never mind."

The sudden change in his demeanor, his softened expression an near apologetic tone seemed misplaced. Eli wasn't sure what he had to feel sorry for.

He shrugged as nonchalantly as possible, trying to make a joke of the situation, "As usual, it's all classified. Don't worry, it's locked with Imperial security measures, so if a Rebel does show up to kill you and steal my datapad, at least the data is completely safe."

Kenzo had turned his face out to the plains. "Perhaps it's best that neither of us work this weekend," he mumbled. He turned back to Eli with a relaxed smile, "Or rather, that we don't speak of work."

That sounded utterly delightful. To be away from work, to not speak of work, to be with someone who had nothing to do with work and wanted nothing to do with his work.

"That sounds good." He tried not to grin like an idiot, but must have failed because Kenzo's lips twitched like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Really good. Honestly, I don't get to not think about work much."

Despite his smile, something behind his eyes looked slightly sad. "Of course, no work for you other than protecting me from a potential Rebel attack."

"Ah, yes, that. Of course." Eli pushed to his feet, "Well, it's cold as hell out here, and I'm exhausted. I need to go inside."

"Thank you for speaking with me."

He dug his hands into the pockets of his coat. It really was freezing, despite the fact that Kenzo hardly looked affected. "I definitely owed you an apology, and I'm never too proud to admit that. More wall climbing tomorrow?"

"There's always more wall climbing. Don't make the mistake of ever thinking we're done. She's going to work us half to death while we're here."

"Well, we probably both need a full night of sleep if that's the case. I'll see you tomorrow morning?" He started for the sliding door and then paused.

Maybe… maybe he'd push his luck just a little.

"Your mother was kind enough to put me in the room next door."

Kenzo tilted his head lazily, looking at him in a sleepy, dreamy manner that nearly knocked Eli over.

"Is that so?"

The response read completely neutral. Most likely, a polite dismissal. He made a wide gesture to the door, "So if a Rebel attempts to break in and kill you sometime tonight… just holler. I'll be over in a few."

Kenzo laughed, returning his attention to the scenery once more, "Sleep well, Eli."


	14. Chapter 14

_One of the most rewarding things in my career has been watching Kenzo grow and find his place in the political scene. For all that I've tried to teach him, we're still quite different in the way we see matters. At times, I think he may have a better moral compass than my own. For that, I am very proud of him. But it also gives me great concern over his future._

* * *

The Commander checked in with her the morning of their first day back. "I didn't get any reports from the troopers. I take it everything went well here while I was gone?"

His tone toward her had entirely changed, more subdued and polite. Her goal was to destabilize the Commander's view of the Empire, so she'd hoped the weekend in Kenzo's overtly friendly hometown would make him feel that he might have someplace outside the Navy he could turn to. The drastic change in his demeanor seemed to indicate it may have worked.

"Yes, everything went well. I appreciate you personally keeping an eye on Kenzo's safety during his visit home. I hope it didn't disturb your other obligations too much."

"It didn't. In all honesty, it was a nice opportunity. Considering how hospitable Koya is, I don't think I could have avoided enjoying myself a little."

"I'm happy to hear that," she smiled, relaxing into the back of her chair. It _had_ worked. Now all she had to do was plant a few more seeds, then burn the fields down around him. "In my opinion, Kenzo comes from the best area of Pantora. Though to be fair I'm a little biased, my childhood home is in the same area."

He glanced to the double doors that lead to the front office, where Kenzo was likely having a meltdown over the number of inquiries they'd gotten after the press release he cautioned her about. "Yeah… Kenzo mentioned that."

"You know, Eli, contrary to what many people seem to think, I hold no ill will against your institution. I'm certainly not opposed to the idea of a galactic military force; it's just my job to serve the best interests of the Pantoran people and enforce their will. This narrative that seems to be spun so frequently that I'm some extreme, anti-military pacifist is simply false. In fact, in my early years as a Senator one of my closest friends was deeply involved in galactic military affairs."

"Oh? Were they in the Navy during the Clone Wars?" This seemed to pique his interest.

She'd planned this entire conversation while he and Kenzo were gone, but no amount of rehearsal would ever prevent the feeling she ripped open a barely-healed wound when she discussed the subject.

"No. She was a Jedi."

His eyebrows rose slightly. "… Oh."

"Well, technically she wasn't a Jedi, I believe she was what they called a Padawan, a younger one that was being trained to become a Jedi." She found herself running her fingers over the corner of her desk, a small distraction from the conversation at hand.

"I… I'm sorry to hear that. You actually knew people in the Jedi Order?"

"I knew many of them. If you were a Senator in those days you almost certainly knew at least a few of them."

In the current political climate, confessing to a positive relationship with a Jedi was an utter taboo. The Commander appeared dumbfounded by the confession. He stumbled over words, "Really? What were they like?"

"That's a somewhat difficult question to answer. They were all individuals, with unique personalities. But if I were to generalize… focused, passionate, and well trained." She shook her head, "I should be cautious of how I speak of them given what's happened in the years since, but most of them I knew were extremely kind. Not what you would think, from the stories that are propagated now."

He studied her for a quiet moment. "You didn't think they would turn on the Republic?"

She could have told him with absolute confidence there was no way they would turn on the Republic. People like Ahsoka and Kenobi… never. "The Jedi Order had its fair share of issues. There were small things I noticed even as an outsider to their ways, things I now believe led to their downfall. But at the time it never occurred to me those little things might actually be the product of a deeply flawed system. It's much more difficult to recognize such things when you're so close to them."

"So you do acknowledge they were corrupt? I mean… look at what they did," he gestured desperately, like he needed her to agree with him.

"Certainly. The Jedi Order was made up of good people and bad people, like any organization. The problem was the good ones let their pride go to their heads, and because of it, they failed to see they'd fallen from the path they intended to walk. It taught me an important lesson when I was young. Corruption exists everywhere, even in the things you and I take part in, and denying that reality is extremely dangerous. It's the responsibility of the individual to recognize immoral actions, and to not let them stand."

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Yes, but… I mean in the case of your friend, what could she have done? The Jedi Order was a powerful entity, there's no way one person—one who wasn't even a full-fledged Jedi—could have done anything."

"Well… that's the challenge, isn't it? I've spent a great deal of time thinking about that exact problem, both in her case and in my own personal struggles. All change starts with one person. What's to say it couldn't have been her? To her credit, she was less... _docile_ than the Jedi Order would have liked. She spoke out against them quite frequently, particularly as her training progressed."

"But did it make any difference?"

"In the end, no. The Jedi still fell. Many, many lives were lost in the process. But I think you may be looking at it incorrectly. At least she tried. And she probably made a huge difference in a few lives along the way, even if she wasn't able to save everything. Toward the end, she couldn't tolerate it anymore. She ended up leaving the Jedi Order."

"She left? But what did she do? Where did she go?"

Riyo shrugged. "I sincerely wish I could tell you. I haven't heard from her since. People forget is in cases like this there are always other people around who are willing to help. There are always other people who have seen the same things, who feel the same way. I like to think she found people who helped her, and that she's somewhere out there, safe and still fighting for what she knows is right." She paused, feeling an uncomfortable surge of emotion. She wished, more than anything, that Ahsoka would have come to her. She would have done anything to help her.

Vanto looked as uneasy as she needed him to be. "Are you saying you would have betrayed the government you serve to hide a fugitive?"

She smiled, biting back the painful memory of Ahsoka. "I think you have a severe misunderstanding of my life's work, Commander Vanto. I have never once served a government. I serve the people."

He looked away from her quickly, fidgeting with his datapad. "Right, I… er… I think I'm done here. I'll be back to check in with you this evening as well."

He made his way to the doors, leaving one cracked open slightly in his awkward hurry to leave. All that was left to do now was call in her favor from Ardella. She stood from the desk and went to allow the guards waiting in the front office inside since they were so adamant about never leaving her alone. Just as she reached it, she overheard Kenzo at the front desk, speaking with the Commander:

"… Anyhow, some friends and I are going out for drinks this coming weekend and I thought you might like to come."

"I wish I could. I'm on duty all weekend, we're expecting a supply shipment to come in and I'm supposed to oversee it."

Kenzo tisked, "Pity. Maybe next time?"

She squinted at his tone. She'd heard that tone from him once before, about a year ago when she'd caught him flirting with a Corellian senate aide.

"As long as I'm not on duty I'd love to. Speaking of which, I'm nearly late to get back to the Chimaera. I'll see you later." The front door closed as he left.

She waited a few moments before casually pushing the door open and making her way out to Kenzo's desk, doing her best not to appear suspicious. "Did I hear you inviting the Commander out?"

"Hm? Yeah," his attention turned to his data screen, the tips of his ears flushing dark blue, "as it turns out he's not a complete jerk. Maybe a little, but he has a good sense of humor."

No, no, no. Their shared weekend was not supposed to work _that_ well. She frowned at the exit. When she turned back to Kenzo, he was looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?"

It really wasn't any of her business. He was her employee, not her friend. Granted, she'd worked closely with him for years now and knew his mother. It was really only natural that she might be concerned about his well being. Not just personally, but professionally as well.

" _Him_?" The question poured out before she could stop it.

The dark flush spread from his ears, and he turned back to the screen, "You're reading far too much into this."

"He's certainly not a bad looking young man, but… what happened to the Corillian? He was so nice…"

"It's nothing Riyo," his tone teetered somewhere between irritated and humiliated.

She snapped her mouth closed. It really _wasn't_ any of her business. "Right. Just…"

Flushed face still turned to his screen, he glanced to her from the corner of his eye.

"Just be careful, okay? He could be damaging, strictly from a professional standpoint. You have a good career started, you need to be mindful of these things."

He rubbed his face, "Thank you for the advice, Riyo. I have a lot of work to do."

That was as clear a sign as anything-he wanted her to go drop it. He did have plenty of work to focus on, with the fallout from her press release and the rumors surrounding the mess that they couldn't quite stamp out from smaller publications. Shaking her head, she returned to her office. Her two official Imperial security guards followed, and she began plotting a way to get rid of them just long enough that she would have time to contact the very people they were supposed to protect her from.

* * *

Eli stepped off the ship and sank into the nearly knee-deep snow on Orto Plutonia. The partially-built facility was just ahead, a gray blur in the snowstorm. They'd made impressive progress on the plant in such a short amount of time, with the main building and a dome over the mining location already built. The west wing was, as he was warned, essentially destroyed. The roof was caved in and an entire wall crumbled into the snow, revealing an interior coated with black soot.

A Lieutenant ran out to meet him, clutching her cap in the wind. "Commander Vanto, you wanted to look around the site of the attack?"

"Yes," he had to yell through the wind. "The area has been secured, correct?"

"It has. Come with me."

Eli followed the woman through the snow and into a safe section of the facility.

"It's tough to see a situation like this right before we were scheduled to be up and running," she said.

"How close can you get me?"

"The rescue crew cleared the area. We should be safe to go in." She led him to a door with a small window into the next area. Or at least, it must have been a window. It was covered in blackened soot from the explosion as well. "The doors are all retinal scan. We already have you cleared to go anywhere you need to."

He stepped to the scanner off to the side and waited uncomfortably for it to run. He hated these things—they were useful because you avoided the risk of compromised security over a lost code cylinder, but it was just plain uncomfortable to stare into the flashing red light while it scanned your eye.

The door wheezed open painfully, inner mechanisms likely damaged by the explosion. He'd seen scenes like this before; it wasn't really anything new. Most everything was simply gone, evaporated in the multiple explosions that had taken place, but there were a few mangled messes of metal that may have once been shipping crates or machinery.

"They hit our stock of building supplies. We have more coming in a few days, but it's all building materials intended to be used after what was destroyed. This is going to set us back awhile."

Eli huffed a visible cloud of cold air. "Of course. The Rebels were smart with their attack. Has security spotted anyone suspicious? Any leads at all?"

She shook her head, going to what looked like the epicenter of one of the blasts. "Our explosives tech team did an analysis on the remains of an explosive they found. It was remotely detonated. They could have been placed in here a week ago for all we know. Do you want to know what's really strange, though? The explosives were made by Accer Corp."

That was definitely strange. Accer Corp specialized in high-end arms. Their stuff was so pricey the Empire couldn't even purchase it for their troops. They only sold to extremely wealthy planets and private defense groups who could afford to spare no expense when it came to equipment. He could track down records, but it wouldn't surprise him if Pantora was one of those planets.

"I think the Rebels in this area might be a different breed from what the Empire is used to seeing in the core," the Lieutenant said offhandedly.

"How so?"

She shrugged. "Having enough explosives from Accer Corp to do this kind of damage means they have access to some serious money."

Eli nodded. "Or they stole them from someone who had serious money."

There was no way so much extremely expensive equipment went missing without someone noticing. The Rebels were either wealthy enough to buy the supplies on their own, or someone powerful on Pantora was covering for them when they smuggled shipments. He made a note to return to the records from Pantora's shipyards to try and find any records of Accer equipment.

Eli spent some time wandering around the warehouse, taking note of anything that looked like it might be important. The Rebels had done a remarkably good job of cleaning up after themselves, leaving little to no evidence whatsoever.

She walked him back through the snow to his ship after he'd finished his investigation.

"You'll send me the holo recordings you have from any surveillance cameras in the area?" he asked.

"You'll have it before you're back on Pantora."

"Good, thank you." He squinted back at the facility. In the time they were inside, the weather had died down enough that the full facility was actually visible. A few large, strangely shaped figures lumbered around, with what appeared to be loads supplies strapped to their backs.

"Are those Talz?"

"In the facility? Yeah."

"What are they doing here? I thought they were going to move from the area to avoid interacting with the Empire."

She gave a light laugh and a pitying look. His confusion dissolved quickly to a sense of dread. He realized what was happening before she spoke.

"Do you really think the Empire would let a resource like that go to waste?"


End file.
